Obesity develops under complex internal and environmental influences
affecting child’s behavior from the beginning of postnatal life. Psychosocial factors
accompanying increased body weight play the important role in forming personality of
obese child, his attitudes towards world, society and to himself, as well as attitudes
towards food, food choice, and eating behavior. Large scale of behavioral disturbances
of the overweight children and adolescents have been reported, such as low selfesteem,
depression, anxiety, shame of worse physical fitness, lower school performance,
victimization from peers, withdrawal from social contacts, even lower
financial evaluation. Many studies have been based on large population samples.
However, many overweight and obese subjects are without behavioral problems, they
don’t suffer from social victimization, they are able to cope effectively with environmental
stress. The question of causality of behavioral problems of obese individuals
has been discussed. Deeper insight into the characteristis of personality of individual
obese child and/or adolescent may help to reveal their specific behavioral problems, if
any. This may be helpful in designing effective preventive programs or therapy of
obesity.
Keywords: Appetite, Behavioral disturbances, Bullying, Childhood obesity,
Child’s personality, Daily rhythm, Eating behavior, Motivation, Self-concept,
Social stigma.