Obesity impairs academic attainment in adolescence: findings from ALSPAC, a UK cohort

Abstract

Objective:While being overweight or obese in adolescence may have detrimental effects on academic attainment, the evidence base is limited by reliance on cross-sectional studies with small sample sizes, failure to take account of confounders and lack of consideration of potential mediators. The present study aimed to address these limitations and examine longitudinal associations between obesity in adolescence and academic attainment.Design:Associations between weight status at 11 years old and academic attainment assessed by national tests at 11, 13 and 16 years were examined in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Healthy weight was defined as body mass index (BMI) Z-score <1.04; overweight as BMI Z-score 1.04–1.63; obesity as BMI Z-score ⩾1.64.Participants:Data from 5966 participants with objectively measured weight status were examined: 71.4% were healthy weight (1935 males; 2325 females), 13.3% overweight (372 males; 420 females) and 15.3% obese (448 males; 466 females).Results:Girls obese at 11 years had lower academic attainment at 11, 13 and 16 years compared with those of a healthy weight, even after controlling for a wide range of confounders. Associations between obesity and academic attainment were less clear in boys. The potential mediating effects of depressive symptoms, intelligence quotient (IQ) and age of menarche in girls were explored, but when confounders were included, there was no strong evidence for mediation.Conclusions:For girls, obesity in adolescence has a detrimental impact on academic attainment 5 years later. Mental health, IQ and age of menarche did not mediate this relationship, suggesting that further work is required to understand the underlying mechanisms. Parents, education and public health policy makers should consider the wide reaching detrimental impact of obesity on educational outcomes in this age group.

Association of overweight and obesity with decline in academic performance among female high-school students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…These include higher rates of healthrelated school absenteeism (25), reduced cognitive function (26), negative impact on self-esteem (9), concurrent depressive symptoms (8), and finally, peer and teacher prejudice (14,18). However, such a negative association was shown in previous studies to be independent of depressive symptoms, intelligence quotient (IQ) and several sociodemographic characteristics (12,13). Additionally, the negative association between overweight/obesity and academic performance in the current study was independent of level of selfesteem and several potential sociodemographic and lifestyle confounders.…”

“…Obese girls had lower academic achievement compared with those of a healthy weight. However, such an association was less clear in boys (12). In Chinese adolescents, overweight perception was related to lower GPA in girls only (8).…”

“…For example, in a recent longitudinal study in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, obese students at age 11 years had reduced subsequent academic performance measured 5 years later compared with those of a healthy weight (12). Similarly, the negative association between overweight/obesity and concurrent academic performance was seen in several cross-sectional studies (13,14,24), including some with female students only (8,12). For example, perceived overweight among Chinese adolescents was associated with low self-reported grade point average (GPA) in female but not male students (8).…”

“…For example, several studies reported reduced academic performance in obese children (11)(12)(13)(14), while other studies among primary school students failed to detect such an association (15)(16)(17). Additionally, gender-specific variability in the relationship between overweight/obesity and academic performance has been reported.…”

Bariatric surgery in adolescents: what do we know so far?

“…In childhood, the most common consequences of obesity are psychosocial, including systematic discrimination, poor self-esteem, and depression, each of which can persist into adulthood (11). lower academic achievement, as recently observed in obese adolescents, may be related to these issues (12).…”