Important gender differences in psychosomatic and school-related complaints in relation to adolescent weight status

Underweight or overweight in adolescence is linked to several adverse health outcomes. Less evidence exists about the association between weight status and school-related psychosocial characteristics in high income countries. We sought to investigate the relationship between weight status and psychosomatic and school-related complaints with a focus on gender differences. The study is a cohort of 18,462 adolescents (12-19 years; 51% girls) conducted in Sweden. The associations between weight status and psychosomatic and school-related complaints were estimated by binary logistic regression adjusted for several potential confounders. After correction for multiple testing, being underweight or overweight/obese was adversely associated with several psychosomatic and school-related complaints with significant differences between boys and girls. Specifically, underweight boys had higher odds to have psychosomatic complaints than normal-weight boys, while no such associations were observed among underweight girls. Overweight/obese (vs. normal-weight) boys had higher odds to complain about headache, pain in the back/hips, and feeling low. Overweight/obese (vs. normal-weight) girls were more likely to complain about feeling low, anxious/worried and having difficulty in falling asleep (P <= 0.01). In relation to school-related complaints (e.g., being bullied at school and academic failure), greater associations were observed for overweight/obese girls and boys than for underweight adolescents compared with normal-weight peers.

Automated summary

The study conducted in Sweden found that underweight or overweight adolescents were adversely associated with psychosomatic and school-related complaints, with significant differences between boys and girls. Overweight/obese boys had higher odds to complain about specific symptoms compared to normal-weight boys, while overweight/obese girls were more likely to report certain complaints than normal-weight girls. Greater associations were observed for overweight/obese adolescents in terms of school-related complaints compared to underweight adolescents.