Exercise, cognitive function, and obesity in children

The global obesity epidemic continues to grow at an alarming rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have pointed out that childhood obesity affects health in a wide range of ways. Childhood obesity is also associated with mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. Obesity comes with increased risks of low self-esteem, reduced quality of life, shame, and being a victim of bullying. In addition, the issues of concern to obese individuals also include issues related to cognitive function. Cognitive function, as an important component of health-related quality of life, is affected by increased body weight, which can lead to worsening of cognitive functions and decreased general mental ability among children. “Cognitive function” is a general term for information processing that covers a variety of abilities, namely, perception, attention, memory, problem solving, and decision making. Recently, researchers in this area have begun to use more advanced technology, such as event-related potential (ERP) technology.