Relationship between Obesity/Overweight and Internalized Behavior Problems in Elementary Schools Girls

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children are dramatically increasing in developing countries. Obesity is not considered as a psychological disorders but it increases the risk of psychological disorders including, internalizing behavioral problems that consist of withdrawn, anxiety/depression, and somatic complaints. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation between obesity/overweight and internalizing behavioral problems in girls of elementary schools. Methods and Materials: In this descriptive cross-sectional study that was performed in Tabriz we entered 300 elementary schools girls randomly allocated and their body mass index (BMI) was measured. Data collection was performed by Child Behavior Check List (CBCL).That contains 113 items, 32 items of them indicate internalizing behavior problems in children, which are scored on the base of rang 3-point scale ranking. The results showed that overweight and obese groups had a greater score in withdrawn, anxiety/depression and internalizing behavior scales than normal weight groups. Overweight and obese groups had a greater mean score than normal group in internalizing behavior scale (Overweight: 11.78±0.71 (P<0.05) vs 8.19±0.45 in normal, Obese: 10.67±0.68 vs 8.19±0.45 in normal group P<0.05). Based on results, obesity/overweight had significant and positive relationship with internalizing behavior problems in girls (r =0.219, P<0.001). These findings show that obesity/overweight is associated with internalizing behavior problems. Overweighting can be a risk factor for increasing the internalizing behavior problems in girls. Therefore, prevention of obesity can prevents some behavioral problems from happening.