Longitudinal relationship between adolescents' mental health,energy balance-related behavior,and anthropometric changes |
| |
| Authors: | Emmanuel Nwosu Patricia Makwambeni Sondre Haugsbø Herstad Hanli Etsebeth Gaironeesa Hendricks Anaely Aguiar Olufunke Alaba Laurence Blanchard Anne-Siri Fismen Nanna Lien Janetta Harbron |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Research Centre for Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Human Biology Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;2. Bongani Mayosi Health Sciences Library, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;3. Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway;4. System Dynamics Group, Department of Geography, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;5. Health Economics Unit, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;6. Faculty of Public Health Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK;7. Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway |
| |
| Abstract: | Energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) are considered the immediate causes of adolescents' body weight increases, but adolescents have identified mental health as a contributor. Cross-sectional studies have reported associations between adolescents' mental health and obesity, but causal relationships and the role of EBRBs within this can only be established using longitudinal studies. This systematic review summarizes the findings of longitudinal studies investigating this relationship, in addition to the role of EBRB in the relationship. Multiple electronic databases were searched for longitudinal studies using keywords related to the adolescent population, mental health, EBRB, and body weight. In total, 1216 references were identified and screened based on previously defined eligibility criteria. Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Most studies indicated that mental health-related measures like depression, anxiety, and body dissatisfaction were related to an increase in body weight later. As this review is focused on behavioral mediators, six studies reported associations between mental health—anthropometry dyad and EBRBs such as eating habits, screen time, physical activity, and sleep—as well as stressors like peer victimization. Future studies may focus on streamlining mental health measures and body weight outcomes to assess this relationship. Furthermore, more longitudinal investigations are needed to provide insight into the role of EBRBs in the mental health–body weight relationship during adolescence. |
| |
| Keywords: | adolescents body weight energy balance-related behavior (EBRB) longitudinal mental health |
|
|
