growing pains
By A . David Rothner , MD
Big Problems
Childhood and adolescent obesity can cause a range of health and psychosocial problems — including an increased likelihood of headache .
Research from all parts of the globe — including Norway , Germany , Israel and the United States — confirms that lifestyle is a major player in not only the frequency of headaches but also in their severity and treatment . Physicians and researchers agree that factors such as sleep , diet , hydration , exercise , smoking and stress all play an important role . One major determinant for all populations is obesity , a medical condition in which a person has excess body fat .
The obesity problem is reaching epidemic proportions worldwide . But when most people think of obesity , they picture a sedentary adult population . In reality , this condition is taking its toll on children and adolescents , as well . According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents in the U . S . are obese , and this can have a significant impact on almost every aspect of their lives .
Obese children and adolescents have lower healthrelated quality of life ( HRQOL ) scores in physical , social and school domains when compared with children of normal weight . Overweight children are stereotyped as being unhealthy , academically unsuccessful , socially inept , unhygienic and lazy . They also tend to show symptoms of decreased self-esteem , sadness , loneliness , nervousness and high-risk behaviors .
In addition , this group is much more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to have headaches , according to Andrew M . Hershey , MD , PhD , pediatric neurologist and director of the Headache Center at Cincinnati Children ’ s Hospital Medical Center . Although obesity does not cause headaches , it can increase headache frequency and the likelihood of disability in predisposed populations .
In a study published in the journal Headache , Dr . Hershey reported on data gathered from seven pediatric headache centers . The prevalence of overweight patients was similar in both the general and headache
18 HEAD WISE | Volume 1 , Issue 3 • 2011