My Overweight Child: Overweight Kids More Likely to have Headaches

Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Overweight Kids More Likely to have Headaches

A study has found a strong link between overweight/obesity and headaches in children. The study followed 913 children for six months.

"Adult obesity already has been tied to headaches, so helping kids get into the normal weight range could prevent years of pain and disability...Chronic headaches are common in childhood, with surveys suggesting they're experienced by anywhere from one out of four to one in 10 kids... But the overweight children who had lost weight three months after their first visit reported about half as many headaches as the heavy kids who continued to gain weight."

Though several different factors could cause the headaches - everything from dehydration to the stress of being teased - kids with headaches are less physically active, which can lead to a continued cycle of obesity and deteriorating health. Source: USA Today

Labels: headaches, health_care, pain