Big trouble

In a study pointing to the importance of considering both mind and body in children's health, researchers found a clear link between childhood obesity and behavioral problems. Evidently, children with behavioral problems are nearly three times more likely to be overweight than well-behaved children.

The study done by Julie Lumeng, M.D., a University of Michigan behavioral pediatrician, and her former colleagues at Boston University is based on national data from an intensive long-term survey by the United States Department of Labor of 755 children ages eight to 11 and their mothers.

"This demonstrates solidly for the first time what we have suspected for years from clinical experience, that there is an association between behavior problems and obesity and that a child with behavior problems is more likely to become overweight. This is true regardless of socioeconomic status," says Lumeng. "In other words, we can't ignore either the mind or body in trying to prevent the lifelong health effects from weight problems and mental disorders that start in childhood."

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