Body Dissatisfaction, Self-Esteem, and Depression in Obese Korean Children

Objectives

To investigate the relationship between obesity and psychological well being in children and to examine the mediation effect of body dissatisfaction on mental health of obese Korean children.

Study design

A total of 413 Korean children in grades 5 and 6 from 3 elementary schools completed self-reporting questionnaires on body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and level of depressive symptoms. A sex-specific body mass index for age at or the above the 95th percentile was defined as obese, and that between the 85th and 94th percentiles was defined as overweight.

Results

Obese children demonstrated higher body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem than normal weight and overweight peers (P = 0 and .008, respectively), but not more depression. Body dissatisfaction mediated the association between obesity and self-esteem. The obese children with body dissatisfaction had significantly lower self-esteem and higher levels of depressive symptoms than the obese children without body dissatisfaction and normal weight children (P = 0).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that childhood obesity may be linked to body dissatisfaction, leading to low self-esteem and high levels of depressive symptoms.

Abbreviations: ANOVA, Analysis of variance, BMI, Body mass index, CDI, Children’s Depression Inventory, IOTF, International Obesity Task Force, SES, Socioeconomic status, SPPC, Self-Perception Profile for Children