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Obesity
Takes Emotional Toll on Teens
Overweight teen-agers may have fewer friends than their
normal-weight peers and suffer higher rates of depression
and suicide if teased about being fat, a pair of studies
stated.
The prevalence of obesity among children has reached epidemic
proportions in many developed nations, with an estimated
20 percent of Canadian and U.S. adolescents considered obese.
Diets containing too many fatty snack foods and a lack of
exercise are usually blamed by researchers, though genetic
factors can play a role.
A University of Minnesota study published in a theme issue
on obesity in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine found a strong association between the teasing
endured by overweight teen-agers and rates of depression,
low body satisfaction, low self-esteem and eating disorders.
"Of particular concern are the alarming rates of suicidal
ideation and attempts associated with weight-based teasing,
which are two to three times as high among those who were
teased compared with those not teased," study author
Marla Eisenberg wrote.
The recent study of nearly 5,000 teen-agers in the Minneapolis
area found 26 percent of teens who were teased at school
and at home reported they had considering suicide and 9
percent had attempted to kill themselves. Thirty-six percent
of the teased girls reported being depressed, and 19 percent
of the boys.
Eisenberg said that toning down teasing would require educating
peers and family members about the impact of their derogatory
comments on sensitive adolescents, while trying to help
overweight children learn to better deal with it.
Another problem for overweight teen-agers is that they have
fewer friends than their normal-weight peers, though they
may not realize their lack of popularity, a second study
in the journal said.
"Overweight adolescents were more likely to be socially
isolated and to be peripheral to social networks than were
normal-weight adolescents," wrote Richard Strauss of
the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and
Harold Pollack of the University of Michigan.
Among the 17,500 adolescents aged 13 to 18 surveyed, those
who were overweight listed similar numbers of friends as
their normal-weight peers, but they were picked as friends
by an average of 3.4 others compared to an average 4.8 nominations
received by normal-weight peers.
Fewer friends translates into reduced "social capital,"
the researchers said, which in turn can shape a person's
"economic status, educational attainment, job seeking,
mental health and general well-being."
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
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