Research on Adolescent Health ; Relationship between childhood obesity and body image

The main purpose of this study was to examine and identify variables related to body image of overweight school children. The new government statistics reported that approximately 15% of Korean children in elementary, junior, and senior high schools were overweight. A significant number of these overweight children will become obese adults and will have increased chances of developing cardiovascular problems and/or diabetes later in life. Obesity also places a child at risk for developing poor body image. Body image is closely linked to the development of self concept and a good self concept is closely tied to good peer relationships. The survey was done with 1197 children in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades of 9 elementary schools in 5 different cities in Korea. Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. One hundred and seventy-nine children whose BMI score was greater than 20 were considered to be overweight. Data analysis was done by using the SAS PC+ package. The results of the study indicated that overweight children had significantly lower body image than normal weight children. The result of the stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify the variables related to body image of school aged children showed that physical exercise and a harmonious family environment were more powerful than any other variables included in the model including the `overweight´ factor. The model explained only 23.6% of the body image of school aged children, thus there are many other factors related to the body image of these children. Based on these results, it is suggested that weight control programs for school aged children should include a regular exercise program and a parent education program so that parents can learn and understand about discipline and communication methods. It is important for children to grow and develop with a healthy body image and self concept regardless of their weight.restrictio