Mental health and psychosocial characteristics in adolescent obesity: a population-based case-control study

In this population-based study we compared self-esteem, social background, social and academic competence, behavioural problems and lifestyle in 58 ob ese adolescents (BMI greater than or equal to 99.6th percentile or greater than or equal to 30 kg/m(2)), aged 14-18y, with 58 sex- and age-matched con trols of normal weight. The instruments used were: I Think I Am, Youth Self Report and a lifestyle questionnaire. The obese group was on average, 40 k g heavier than the controls. The obese individuals rated themselves signifi cantly lower in physical characteristics, but in all other aspects of self- esteem mental health and social and academic competence there were no diffe rences between the two groups. There were significant socioeconomic differe nces, with more obese adolescents living with only one parent and with the mothers in the obese group having, in general, lower education than those i n the control group. This study confirms previous observations that obesity is associated with special socioeconomic conditions in youth, but that obe se adolescents do not differ From their normal-weight peers in other aspect s of mental health.