Williams Y'Esha V, Cowan Patricia A, Graff Joyce C
University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing, 3566 Community Health Building, Memphis, TN 38152 USA.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, 4301W. Markham, Slot 529, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA.
J Child Fam Stud. 2020;29(9):2580-2589. doi: 10.1007/s10826-020-01761-x. Epub 2020 Jun 27.
In recent decades, the prevalence of childhood depression and obesity has increased worldwide. African American (AA) children are more obese than White peers and experience many factors that can influence the onset of depressive symptoms. While depression and obesity have been examined in adolescents, there is a paucity of research in AA children. This study examined the relationships among depressive symptoms, obesity, and physical activity self-efficacy in AA children. A community sample of 65 AA children completed questionnaires for depressive symptoms and physical activity self-efficacy and also had body mass index (BMI) and BMI -scores calculated. Correlational statistics were used to examine associations between variables. Clinically significant total depression scores were present in 22% of children, while 48% were overweight or obese. Overall, children reported high physical activity self-efficacy. Higher depressive symptoms were associated with higher BMI -scores. Results also indicated significant correlations between the children's physical activity self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that the associations between depressive symptoms, BMI, and physical activity self-efficacy in AA children merit additional examination. Early identification of depression in children may inform future approaches to treatment of psychological and physiological problems within the clinical setting. Screening for childhood depressive symptoms in primary care settings, especially those that specifically treat childhood obesity, can be instrumental in early identification of children with depression. Healthcare providers should be knowledgeable of the clinical presentation of depression and engaged in depression screening.
近几十年来，儿童抑郁症和肥胖症在全球范围内的患病率都有所上升。非裔美国儿童比白人同龄人更肥胖，且经历着许多可能影响抑郁症状发作的因素。虽然青少年中的抑郁症和肥胖症已得到研究，但针对非裔美国儿童的研究却很少。本研究调查了非裔美国儿童抑郁症状、肥胖症与身体活动自我效能之间的关系。一个由65名非裔美国儿童组成的社区样本完成了关于抑郁症状和身体活动自我效能的问卷调查，同时还计算了体重指数（BMI）和BMI得分。使用相关统计方法来检验变量之间的关联。22%的儿童有临床显著的总抑郁得分，而48%的儿童超重或肥胖。总体而言，儿童报告的身体活动自我效能较高。较高的抑郁症状与较高的BMI得分相关。结果还表明，儿童的身体活动自我效能与抑郁症状之间存在显著相关性。研究结果表明，非裔美国儿童抑郁症状、BMI和身体活动自我效能之间的关联值得进一步研究。早期识别儿童抑郁症可能为未来临床环境中心理和生理问题的治疗方法提供参考。在初级保健机构中筛查儿童抑郁症状，尤其是那些专门治疗儿童肥胖症的机构，有助于早期识别患有抑郁症的儿童。医疗保健提供者应了解抑郁症的临床表现并参与抑郁症筛查。
