2007 Articles

Adolescent Body Mass Index in Relation to Depression, Self-Esteem, and Academic Achievement

Malter-Cohen, Matthew

The differences in school achievement, depression, and self-esteem among overweight and normal weight adolescents were investigated. Body Mass Index (BMI), measured weight status, and group classification (overweight or normal weight) were determined by k-means cluster analysis. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) indicated significant effects across weight classifications. Overweight adolescents had a significantly lower grade point average than their normal weight counterparts. However, differences between weight groups for depression and self-esteem were insignificant. The implications and possible causes for these differences and similarities are discussed.