ABSTRACT

Overweight and obesity prevalance are increasing in children progressively and result in depression, self-esteem deficiency and behavioral problems. The relationship between depression and self-esteem deficiency and childhood obesity was investigated in this study. Forty children diagnosed to have exogen obesity were compared with forty healthy children with normal weight. There were no statistically significant differences for age and sex between groups, but depression and self-esteem deficiency ratios were significantly higher for the obese group (p<0.05). This study emphasizes the importance of psychologic aspects of childhood obesity and psychiatric support for this condition.