Obese children, particularly girls, may be more likely than their peers to suffer from low self-esteem, research shows.

In a study of more than 2,800 Australian school children, researchers found that obese girls were four times more likely than their thinner peers to report signs of low self-worth. What’s more, they were five times less likely to show high self-esteem.

Obese boys were also affected, showing less satisfaction with their appearance and less confidence in their athletic abilities than normal-weight boys. But compared with girls, weight seemed to take less of a toll on boys’ self-esteem.

The findings appear in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Other studies have suggested that in general, heavy children and teenagers tend to have a poorer self-image than their thinner peers. But the new findings actually “quantify” their risk of low self-esteem and show which areas of life - such as physical appearance and athletic ability - are typically affected, the study’s senior author told Reuters Health.

“The bottom line is that psychosocial problems associated with child obesity are common,” said Dr. Andrew J. Hill of the University of Leeds School of Medicine in the UK.

And whereas the physical health effects of obesity are often in the future, children have to face the emotional and social effects “immediately,” Hill noted.

Of course, not all obese children view themselves negatively. The large majority of obese children in the current study, in fact, did not have a generally poor self-image - though many had a tough time with certain aspects of self-esteem, like satisfaction with their appearance.

An important question now, according to Hill, is what makes some overweight children “resilient” in a society where obesity is stigmatized.

“It forces us to think about why some are spared as well as why some are more deeply affected,” he said.

The current study included 2,813 Australian children between the ages of 9 and 13 years. Each child completed a standard questionnaire that assessed overall self-worth, as well as specific aspects of children’s self-image, like academic performance, athletic skill, physical appearance and acceptance among their peers.

Obese girls tended to score lower than thinner girls did in all of these aspects, except school performance. They also scored lower than obese boys, who differed from thinner boys mainly in athletic confidence and satisfaction with their appearance.

As for what parents of obese children can do to encourage greater self-esteem, Hill said that’s the “$64,000 question.”

For parents who are obese themselves, he suggested that they look at their own self-image and how they demonstrate it to their children - in the remarks they make about themselves, for instance.

Parents can also try asking their children how they feel about their weight, according to Hill. If the extra pounds are an emotional problem, he said parents might want to seek professional help in managing their children’s weight in a healthy way.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, December 2006.