Impaired Attention Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Obesity: Preliminary Results Based on the...

Background/Objectives: Attention is a fundamental cognitive parameter, essential for developmental processes. It enables the selective processing of environmental stimuli and guides behavioral responses. Obesity, apart from its broad influence on human somatic health, is also associated with mental and cognitive functioning. In childhood obesity, detailed attention assessment could help elucidate the relationship between the condition and cognitive development, and perhaps also help predict specific difficulties during treatment. The aim of the study was to investigate attention functioning in children and adolescents with obesity using the computerized continuous performance test (CPT). Methods: The study involved 71 children, including 23 with obesity and 48 healthy children with normal body weight. The MOXO CPT was used to assess attention parameters in all participants. The test covered four parameters: sustained attention, timing, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Results: Children with obesity obtained significantly lower CPT results in terms of timing (p = 0.024), hyperactivity (p = 0.001), and impulsivity (p < 0.001), while the difference in sustained attention did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.074). Conclusions: Attention efficiency appears to be reduced in children with obesity compared with their healthy peers. Assessment of attention parameters in this group of patients could be valuable in the context of planning and implementing therapeutic interventions. Children with coexisting obesity and impaired attention functioning would probably require more assistance in following daily behavioral and nutritional recommendations.