A Balancing Act - Tackling Teen Obesity and Depression

By Katherine Kim, San Francisco State University, iN Touch Principal Investigator.

Our project is in full swing and that means we are increasingly clear about the promise that lies ahead if we are successful. As often happens, the more we talk about the project, the more we find others working on similar issues.

Last week, I met Professor Karl-Walter Kohlmann, a German health psychologist who was visiting San Francisco State.  He kindly sent me two recent papers from his research group. The first paper highlighted the high rates of anxiety and depression among children and teens who are overweight or obese. The other paper showed a difference in negative coping strategies (overeating, social isolation, computer and television use, etc.) used by children who saw themselves as overweight/obese vs. those who saw themselves as not (even if their BMI was in the overweight/obese range). It heightened my awareness of how thoughtfully and carefully we must interact with youth in our project so as not to perpetuate the problem by over-identifying them with a clinical label.  We want to protect their identity and esteem while we help them realistically change their health behavior. 

The paper recommended that treatment components for youth include nutrition, physical activity and behavioral skills (e.g. stress management, self-regulation and evaluation skills, and social support). I think we are on the right track with iN Touch by helping the patient manage activities related to all three components. I do have a question though. Might the use of the iPhone/iPod Touch increase the positive social integration of our population of teens by giving them another means of communication and another supportive person to engage with, the health coach?  Or, will the device end up like the TV and computer, an enabler of sedentariness and isolation. 

I’d love to hear what you think.

Comments

[Sarah Apple]

The papers that Kathy refers to:

Physician-Diagnosed Obesity in German 6- to 14-Year-Olds: Prevalence and Comorbidity of Internalising Disorders, Externalising Disorders, and Sleep Disorders
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?doi=10.1159/000209987

Coping in children and adolescents with obesity: The costs and benefits of realistic versus unrealistic weight-evaluations
Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, in press (accepted February 2010)

[Tina Lehmann]

There is this misconception that the "computer" or "television" is watched in isolation. That children are not social nor interactive while "watching" them. That is not my experience at all with my children, or their friends who engage in "screens" together. There is camaraderie, playfullness, cheering, plenty of positive social integration. Sometimes, there is so much excitement as one child navigates a particularly difficult "video/screen" event, that you could hear a pin drop. Yes, even empathy. But, I will also share that there is NO EATING WHILE GAMING. If a snack is wanted, the child goes to the kitchen table, sits and eats. I separated the two activities not because I knew better, but because I didn't want crumbs and yuck on the floor.