Assessment of stress in childhood obesity

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a disease of multiple causes, with physiological and emotional repercussions that can progress until adulthood. The increase of obesity among Brazilian children is associated to the contemporary lifestyle, characterized by sedentary and inadequate eating habits. It is known that this combination, associated with stress, plays significant role in the genesis of childhood obesity, and that stress symptoms are variable, depending on how the child reacts and interprets the situations of the environment. Therefore, this study had the purpose of evaluating the stress level of obese children that attend Instituto de Cardiologia, in Porto Alegre. Fifteen children with obesity took part in the study, ages from 8 to 12 years old. The instruments used were a Record of Socio-Demographical Data and other important information to understand the child behavior, and the Children Stress Scale (Lipp, 2005). Seven children obtained significant results for stress (five girls and two boys). The results reinforce the expectancy for the increase of obesity associated with stress among children, related to the changes in life style.