Psychosocial and familial impairment among overweight youth with social problems.

Objective: Emerging research indicates that overweight children with social impairments are less responsive to weight control interventions over the long term. A better understanding of the breadth and psychosocial correlates of social problems among overweight youth is needed to optimize long-term weight outcomes.

Methods: A total of 201 overweight children, aged 7-12 years, participated in a randomized controlled trial of two weight maintenance interventions following family-based behavioral weight loss treatment.

Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in overweight youth.

Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors appear to be quite common in youth, and overweight youth have been identified as a subset of the population at particularly high risk for endorsing such symptoms. Overweight and eating disorder (ED) symptomatology independently confer significant threats to one's physical and psychosocial health, showing strong links with body weight gain and risk for ED development. When concurrent, the risk for negative health outcomes may be compounded.