Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY AND DEPRESSION Childhood Obesity and Depression Thesis submitted to The Graduate College of Marshall University In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Education Specialist School Psychology By Leslie N. Horton Sandra S. Stroebel, Committee Chairperson Fred Jay Krieg Stephen O’Keefe Marshall University April 1st, 2008Abstract Childhood Obesity and Depression By Leslie Horton Obesity is a commonly experienced health issue. Children who suffer from obesity may experience medical concerns such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension (American Obesity Association, 2006). Obese children may also face psychological consequences. An overweight child may experience criticism from peers while finding it difficult to participate in age-related activities. Considering this fact, one can understand why psychological effects of childhood obesity are of concern. The purpose of this study is to examine the links between obesity and childhood depression, rated by the Childhood Depression Inventory (CDI-2). Twenty-nine children were administered the CDI-2. Activity level and age of children was collected. Current weight and height was also collected. The results of this study indicated that there was no relationship between CDI-2 scores and weight. Furthermore, surprisingly there was no relationship between exercise, time spent watching TV/computer time verses CDI-2 scores. There was a relationship between weight and sports participation. 2Acknowledgements I would like to thank my committee—To Dr. O’Keefe, thank you for being such a strong child-advocate, To Dr. Krieg, thank you for providing invaluable insight into the profession and to Dr. Stroebel, thank you for your patience, understanding and advice. It has meant so much. 3Table of Contents ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………….2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………....3 TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………….4 INTRODUCTION TO REVIEW OF LITERATURE………………….……5 REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………………………….…..5 HYPOTHESIS…………………………………………..…………….…….16 METHOD.…………………………………………………………...….…..17 SUBJECT…………………………………………………………….………….………..17 INSTRUMENT………………………………………………………………….………..17 PROCEDURE………………………………………………………………….…………17 RESULTS………………………………………………………….….…….18 DISCUSSION………………………………………………………….……20 LIMITATIONS…………………………………………………………………………....23 RECOMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………….…24 REFERENCES…………………………………………….………………..25 TABLE 1……………………………………………………………………28 4Childhood Obesity and Depression It has been documented that obesity is an area of major concern in adults as well as children. The incidence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate (Comer, 1992). Much is known about the physical consequences of obesity. Obesity leads to such medical concerns as type 2 diabetes, asthma and hypertension (American Obesity Association, 2006). What stills needs to be determined are the possible psychological consequences of obesity. More research is needed to determine if obesity is related to depression in young children. This study attempts to clarify the relation between obesity and depression by evaluating overweight children in elementary grades with a depression measure. Childhood Obesity The prevalence of obesity in children has been rapidly increasing in the last two decades, reaching epidemic proportions (Phillippas & Clifford, 2005). Childhood obesity has an immediate impact on a child’s physical appearance and can result in additional psycho-social consequences, such as low self-esteem, social alienation, and lack of self-confidence (Doak & Visscher, 2006). Consequently there is a great need for understanding risk factors along with possible related concerns. The rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity is alarming considering the medical and psychosocial consequences of obesity in children (Phillippas & Clifford, 2005). Obesity is a major physical concern of children who are overweight. Increasing reports show us that obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States (Phillippas & Clifford, 2005). It is suggested that contributing factors to childhood obesity includes 5both genetics and the family environment (Kendall & Serrano, 2006). The rising epidemic reflects the profound changes in society and in behavioral patterns over recent decades (World Health Organization [WHO], 2006). As incomes rise and people become busier, diets high in complex carbohydrates give way to more varied diets with higher proportions of fats and sugars (WHO, 2006). Today’s fast-paced society leaves little time for cooking neither well-balanced meals nor adequate amounts of physical activity. Many of today’s children consume more calories than they expend in physical activity thus leading to an increase in weight gain. Since the late 1970’s, obesity rates have more than doubled among children 6 to 11 years of age and more than tripled among those 12 to 19 years of age (Nestle, 2006). An estimated 22 million children under the age of five are estimated to be overweight worldwide (Nestle, 2006). In the USA the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980 (Nestle, 2006). Along with the rise in childhood obesity, there has been an increase in the incidence and prevalence of medical conditions in children and adolescents that had been rare in the past (American Obesity Association, 2006). These medical concerns just compound the psychological implications of depression concerning children. Pediatricians and childhood obesity researchers are reporting more frequent cases of obesity-related diseases such as