Abstract
Context
Obesity and mental health issues increasingly affect children and adolescents, but whether obesity is a risk factor for mental health issues is unclear.
Objective
To systematically review the association between obesity and mental health issues (ie, anxiety and/or depression) among Mexican children and adolescents.
Data sourcing, extraction, and synthesis
A literature search of 13 databases and 1 search engine was conducted. Population, exposure, comparison, outcomes, and study design data were extracted, analyzed, and narratively synthesized. The JBI critical appraisal tool was used to evaluate evidence quality.
Results
A total of 16 studies with 12 103 participants between 8 and 18 years old were included. Four studies focused on anxiety outcomes, 10 on depression, and 2 on both (ie, anxiety and depression). Evidence is unclear about the association of obesity with anxiety. However, most evidence shows that Mexican children and adolescents with overweight or obesity are more likely to have depression or report a higher number of depressive symptoms than normal-weight participants. Such likelihood is greater for females.
Conclusion
Health promotion interventions to treat or prevent obesity could also consider mental health outcomes.
Systematic Review Registration
PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019154132
Obesity and mental health issues increasingly affect children and adolescents, but whether obesity is a risk factor for mental health issues is unclear.
Objective
To systematically review the association between obesity and mental health issues (ie, anxiety and/or depression) among Mexican children and adolescents.
Data sourcing, extraction, and synthesis
A literature search of 13 databases and 1 search engine was conducted. Population, exposure, comparison, outcomes, and study design data were extracted, analyzed, and narratively synthesized. The JBI critical appraisal tool was used to evaluate evidence quality.
Results
A total of 16 studies with 12 103 participants between 8 and 18 years old were included. Four studies focused on anxiety outcomes, 10 on depression, and 2 on both (ie, anxiety and depression). Evidence is unclear about the association of obesity with anxiety. However, most evidence shows that Mexican children and adolescents with overweight or obesity are more likely to have depression or report a higher number of depressive symptoms than normal-weight participants. Such likelihood is greater for females.
Conclusion
Health promotion interventions to treat or prevent obesity could also consider mental health outcomes.
Systematic Review Registration
PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019154132
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 658-669 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Nutrition Reviews |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 26 Sept 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Open Access under the OUP AgreementFunding. No funding was received to do this work. M.A.-M. is currently funded by the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division.
Data Availability Statement
The following Supporting Information is available through the online version of this article at the publisher’s website.Keywords
- adolescents
- anxiety
- children
- depression
- Mexico
- obesity
Access to Document
- Godina-Flores_etal_NR_Obesity_and_its_VOR
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