Problem of overweight in children it can affect their academic achievement. In the new research scientists indicate, adolescents with excess body weight are less likely to have a good academic values - particularly in math - than their counterparts of normal weight.
Although this study found no direct causal relationship between being overweight or obese with school performance, the researchers found that children from entering kindergarten are overweight and weight did not change until he graduated fifth grade, have poor performance when in the field mathematics.
"Does not mean children are less intelligent, but they only perform less well," said the study's lead researcher, Sara Gable, a specialist in nutrition and physiology at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Gable suspect this may be related to interpersonal problems and internalizing behavior why weight loss can affect the child's performance in mathematics courses.
"We know in general that children who have bad relationships tend to be able to do well in school. And we also know that children with internalizing behaviors are less capable of doing well in school. Internalization is the behavior of anxiety, worry, feeling as if it does not have many friends and feel sad, "he said.
"Children with weight problems tend to feel internalizing behaviors and do not have good interpersonal skills," Gable.
According to Gable who published his research in the journal Child Development, the effect of this behavior from year to year cumulative nature.
In his research, Gable and colleagues used data Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. The study involved 6250 children from kindergarten through fifth grade. Weight and height were measured five times during the study period, and these measurements are used to calculate body mass index of children, to assess whether a person entered kategoti normal weight, overweight or underweight.
Then they were divided into three groups according to their weight, ie: the kids who never fat (80 percent), persistent fat (12 percent) and the late obese children (8 percent). Researchers note, the last group are not overweight as kindergarten or first grade, but the excess weight in the third or fifth (or both).
Measurements taken at the time, parents and teachers fill out extensive questionnaires about the children. Teachers were asked to assess the interpersonal relationships and internalizing behaviors. In addition, children were given standardized math test at each point.
The study group was mostly boys, most (83 percent) of children living with parents, two thirds of the children were white, 16 percent Hispanic, 9 percent were black and 5 percent Asian.
Results showed that children who are overweight are constantly starting from kindergarten through fifth grade math test had a poor result, since the first grade. Weight status did not play an important role in the math - when children are in kindergarten.
"That means there are some aspects of the school environment that affect performance," said Gable.
Researchers found that children who have excess weight are likely to have internalizing behaviors than their peers who never overweight. Related to interpersonal skills, teachers assess, girls who are obese tend to have problems with their peers than their counterparts of normal weight.
Gable said there are other factors that may play a role. For example, obese children tend to be more absent from school, thus affecting their learning performance. Obese children are also more likely to have a sleep disorder sleep apnea, which if untreated, can affect learning performance in the afternoon.
In essence, Gable said, "parents should protect their children from obesity for as long as they can. Applying a healthy lifestyle can prevent this from happening. Once a person fat, would be very difficult for him to change," he said.
Furthermore, Gable said, it is important to remember that any changes in diet and regular exercise will affect the entire family. Routines of all family members should be changed. Do not just one or two people who made the changes, but all of them.
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