ABSTRACT
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.
