[Study on the Stroop task test in adolescents with different degrees of obesity before and after mental workload].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the differences of Stroop task among adolescents with different BMIs before and after mental workload, and try to explore the change of cognition function after mental workload in students with different degrees of obesity and the relationships between cognition function and body mass index (BMI).


METHODS
A total 254 adolescents were selected by convenience sampling method and were classified into different groups according to BMI. The subjects were manipulated by mental workload with the IV edition of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) for 60 to 70 minutes. The minutes of time for reading card A, B and C were separately recorded before and after mental workload.


RESULTS
The minutes spent for reading card C were significantly longer in overweight and obese groups than those in the normal bodyweight group before mental workload (P < 0.05). After mental workload, the minutes for reading cards A and B were significantly longer in the obese group than those in the normal group (P < 0.05), and with the increase of BMI Z scores, the minutes for reading three cards were significantly longer.


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight/obesity have significant effect on cognitive process reflected by Stroop task, and the higher BMI Z scores the more obvious impairment of cognitive process.
Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health & Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China. caohui1230@126.com
Hui
H
Cao
Fangbiao
F
Tao
Hua
H
Tang
Chunyu
C
Tu
Tingting
T
Weng
Peng
P
Zhu
Ying
Y
Sun
Hui
H
Wang
Jiling
J
Fu
Jiahu
J
Hao
D000293:Adolescent; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications