Common Cause of Anxiety and Depression in Children
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 35% of young adults in the United States are obese.
7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have diagnosed anxiety.
3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression.
Does your child suffer from anxiety or depression? In today’s world, not only do adults have to deal with health issues like obesity, depression, and anxiety, but unfortunately so do our children. A new nationwide research study found that obesity is an independent risk factor for anxiety and depression among children and teenagers. (1)
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century with far-reaching and enduring adverse health consequences for our youth. Over 42 million children worldwide are estimated to be overweight or obese, and if current trends continue, then an estimated 70 million children will be overweight or obese by 2025. (2)
The research team examined data on over 12,000 children and teenagers ages 6–17 who had received treatment for obesity, and they compared them with the data of more than 60,000 counterparts who did not have obesity. Researchers sourced the data in 2005–2015 as part of the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register. Over an average period of 4.5 years, more than 4,200 of the children and teenagers developed anxiety or depression.
“The girls with obesity were 43% more likely to experience anxiety or depression compared with their age- and sex-matched peers. The risk of anxiety and depression was also 33% higher among boys with obesity, compared with their peers who did not have obesity.”
The team adjusted for other risk factors for depression and anxiety, such as migration background, other neuropsychiatric conditions, a history of mental health issues in the family, and socioeconomic status. After adjusting for these factors, obesity still raised the risk of developing anxiety and depression.
Specifically, 11.6% of the girls who had obesity received such a diagnosis, compared with 6% of girls without obesity. Also, 8% of boys with obesity received the diagnosis, compared with 4.1% of boys without obesity.
Healthy Lifestyle and Hormone Balance are Key
Being overweight or obese can cause many more health problems than anxiety and depression. It can lead to type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, kidney disease, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
We find that adopting a healthy eating program, such as the Hotze Optimal Eating Program, can help people obtain and maintain an ideal body weight. Hormone decline and imbalance can also affect teenagers and their weight, as well as cause anxiety and depression.
We Can Help
If your child is experiencing difficulty with weight and anxiety or depression, find out if hypothyroidism or hormone decline could be the culprit. Airborne and food allergies can also cause many symptoms in children, as well. Give us a call today for a complimentary consultation at 281-698-8698.
You deserve to have a doctor and a team of professionals to coach you onto a path of health and wellness, naturally, so that you can enjoy a better quality of life without the use of pharmaceutical drugs, to enjoy a life-changing health transformation.
Source:
CDC
Research
1. Obesity May Put Young People at Risk of Anxiety, Depression
2. Psychological Consequences of Childhood Obesity: Psychiatric Comorbidity and Prevention
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