Obese kids tend to be more lonely and anxious

Overweight children, as young as those in kindergarten, tend to be more depressed, anxious and lonely than their slimmer counterparts, says a new study.

"We found that both boys and girls who were overweight from kindergarten through third grade displayed more depression, anxiety and loneliness than their slimmer peers," said Sara Gable, associate professor of human development and family studies, Missouri University (MU).

"Overweight is widely considered a stigmatising condition and overweight individuals are typically blamed for their situation. The experience of being stigmatised often leads to negative feelings, even in children," Gable said.

MU researchers used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) to examine the social and behavioural development of 8,000 school-age children from kindergarten entry through third grade.

The researchers evaluated factors that have not been studied previously: age at becoming overweight and length of time being overweight, according to a MU release.

"Girls who were consistently overweight, from kindergarten through third grade, and girls who were approaching being overweight were viewed less favourably than girls who were never overweight," said Gable.

"Teachers reported that these girls had less positive social relations and displayed less self-control and more acting out than never-overweight girls," Gable said.

"Most appearance-based social pressure likely originates in the eye of the beholder," Gable said. "Therefore, intervention and prevention efforts should be designed for everyone. All kids should learn what constitutes a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle."

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Last updated on Jul 3^rd, 2009 at 10:55 am IST--IANS