May 11, 2001 (Ivanhoe Newswire) Depression during childhood is associated with obesity in adulthood, finds a new study. Researchers at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University in New York conducted the study.

The participants in the study were children ages 6 to 17 who were diagnosed with major depression and children who had no psychiatric disorders. Researchers followed up with the children 10 to 15 years after the study's onset.

They found that depressed children had a larger body mass index as adults than those who were non-depressed as children. Researchers say this association could not be explained by other factors, including age, gender, cigarette or alcohol use, social class, and pregnancy or medical history. They also compared a sample of the children who had similar weights and still found a connection with childhood depression and adult obesity.

Researchers say studying this connection is important because of the lack of effective treatments for obesity. They speculate that preventive intervention may reduce the risk for obesity by targeting children who are at risk for obesity.

From Healthy.net