Childhood obesity and adolescent follow-up depressive symptoms: exploring a moderated mediation model of body esteem and gender

Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for adolescent depressive symptoms, but mediating mechanisms of this association have scarcely been studied. This study is unique in examining an indirect pathway of this link via body esteem (BE) prospectively from childhood (8–12 years) to adolescence (13–18 years). In addition, potential gender moderation was examined. This study utilized data from a case–control study comparing 100 children with and without obesity matched on important confounders (age, gender, and socioeconomic status). Our findings provide support for the mediating role of BE in the link between childhood weight status and adolescent depressive symptoms at a 5-year follow-up. This mediation effect did not differ between boys and girls. The findings suggest the relevance of specifically targeting children’s BE in preventive intervention programs among children with obesity to prevent future mental health problems.