Children with emotional difficulties have a greater risk of becoming obese in adulthood, new research has found.

    In the study, published online Sept. 11 in the journal BMC Medicine, researchers from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Center at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, examined data from about 6,500 members of the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study.

    Participants in the 1970 study had been assessed when they were 10 years old for emotional problems, self-perceptions and their body-mass index （BMI）, a height-to-weight ratio. They reported their BMI again at age 30.

    The researchers found that children with a lower self-esteem, those who felt less in control of their lives and those who were often worried were more likely to have a higher BMI over the next two decades.

    It was also noted that girls were more affected by these factors than boys, the study authors pointed out in a news release from the journal's publisher.

    The findings also suggested that childhood emotional problems may be another factor that can lead to excess weight, according to the researchers.

    "While we cannot say that childhood emotional problems cause obesity in later life, we can certainly say they play a role, along with factors such as parental BMI, diet and exercise," study co-author Andrew Ternouth said in the news release.

    Early intervention for children suffering from low self-esteem, anxiety or other emotional challenges could help improve their chances of being healthy later in life, the researchers added.

    "Given the growing problem with childhood obesity in many western societies, these findings are particularly important," the authors concluded. "They may offer hope in the battle to control the current obesity epidemic."

    新的研究發現，受到情緒困擾的孩子有更大的幾率在成年后過度肥胖。

    這項研究結果刊登在9月11日的《BMC 醫學》雜志上。來自倫敦國王學院精神病學協會的醫學研究理事會（MRC）社會、遺傳和進化精神病學研究中心的研究人員們對《1970年英國出生群組研究》中大約 6,500 個研究對象的資料進行了調查。

    在1970年研究中的參與者10歲的時候，曾經對他們情緒方面的問題、自認知能力以及他們的體重指數（BMI）--體重對身高的比--進行過評估。在30歲的時候，他們再次報告了自己的體重指數（BMI）.

    研究人員們發現，具有較低自尊的孩子，那些認為更少掌控自己的生活以及那些經常悶悶不樂的孩子，在下二十年過后更可能具有較高的 BMI.

    這項研究的作者在雜志出版商的一次新聞發布會上指出，還要注意的是，女孩子比男孩子更受這些因素的影響。

    根據研究人員門的說法，調查結果也顯示兒童情緒問題可能是導致體重超標的另一個因素。

    "然而，我們不能說兒童的情緒問題導致在以后的生活中肥胖，我們可以肯定地說它們隨同諸如父母的 BMI、飲食和鍛煉等因素一起起作用，"研究報告的共同撰寫者安德魯 特爾勞斯在新聞發布會上說。

    對遭受低自尊、焦慮或其它心理挑戰的孩子進行早期干預，可能有助于增進他們在以后生活中健康的機會，研究者們補充說。

    "鑒于許多西方國家兒童肥胖問題日益嚴重，這些發現是特別重要的，"作者總結說。"它們可能在控制當前肥胖病的流行的斗爭中提供希望。"