title: Association between childhood obesity, cognitive development, physical fitness and social-emotional wellbeing in a transitional economy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that obese children have lower cognitive function, demonstrate poorer physical performance and are more susceptible to social-emotional problems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe associations between human physical growth, cognitive development, physical fitness and social-emotional characteristics of obese and non-obese children and to verify the predictors of intellectual coefficient by socioeconomic status (SES).
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 107 non-obese (N-Ob) children [-1 z-score body mass index (BMI) ≤1 z-score] and 108 obese (Ob) children [2 z-score ≤BMI ≤5 z-score] from a larger cohort was evaluated. Intellectual coefficient (IQ), social-emotional wellbeing (SEW), 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and SES (mid-low, low and very low) were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ob children were taller, heavier and present more height for age and BMI than N-Ob children (p < 0.001). A significant correlation between IQ and SEW (r = 0.14), 6MWT and BMI z-score (r = -0.18) and 6MWT and SEW (r = 0.15) was found. Multiple regression analysis revealed that BMI z-score had a negative impact on IQ in the mid-low SES sub-group and that SEW had a positive effect on IQ in the very-low SES sub-group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Chilean pre-school children from low-income families cognitive ability varied according to SES.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences (ICSA), U. Autónoma de Hidalgo , Pachuca , México .
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galván
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uauy
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: López-Rodríguez
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kain
mesh_terms: D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D063766:Pediatric Obesity; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires