Critical role of children's social-emotional wellbeing in weight status stability and change across the transition to adolescence

Background: Adolescence is a sensitive period for obesity prevention and intervention, as research demonstrates notable tracking of obesity from adolescence to adulthood. Thus, the primary aim of our study is to predict weight status stability and change across the transition to adolescence with several previously-studied child and household routines and child psychosocial development. These factors may provide feasible targets for prevention and intervention. Methods: Data were obtained from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a nationally representative sample of children who entered kindergarten during 1998-1999 and were followed through eighth grade. At fifth grade, parents reported on child and household routines and the study child and his/her primary classroom teacher reported on the child's social-emotional functioning. At fifth and eighth grade, children were directly weighed and measured at school. Four mutually-exclusive weight status groups were created to capture stability or change in weight status from fifth to eighth grade: stable healthy weight, stable overweight or obesity, decrease in weight status, and increase in weight status. Results: Household and child routines did not predict the direction of weight status, except for the impact of television watching. Children's social-emotional wellbeing had a much greater influence over weight status; specifically, it served as a resilient factor that enabled adolescents to make changes in the direction of healthy weight. Conclusions: Assessing children's social-emotional well-being in addition to their lifestyle routines during the transition to adolescence is a noteworthy direction for adolescent obesity prevention and intervention.