According to CDC estimates, approximately one in five American children are obese. A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that children who are overweight or obese may have lower intelligence and be more prone to depression. The study analyzed data from over 5,000 children aged 9-11 years old and found that lower cognitive performance and greater psychopathology were associated with increased weight gain as children entered adolescence.
The study highlighted the importance of mental and cognitive health in relation to weight development among children. It suggested that clinicians monitor overweight or obese children for higher depression problems. Factors contributing to childhood obesity include metabolism, eating and physical activity behaviors, short sleep duration, negative childhood events, and community design and safety.
The study also found that rates of obesity were highest among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black children, and that obesity prevalence increased as family incomes declined. Other studies have linked childhood obesity to lower IQ scores, suggesting that certain biological mechanisms during early life obesity could affect neurodevelopment.
Dr. Nadia Ali, certified in internal and integrative medicine, pointed out that children are being targeted by processed food marketers, leading to bad food habits and obesity. A report from the World Obesity Federation warned that childhood obesity rates could double by 2035, with lower-income nations in Asia and Africa being hardest hit by the epidemic. The federation’s president called for policymakers to act now to address this growing issue. Can you please rewrite this sentence?
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