Healthier Me: Effects of Childhood Depression - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

In Monday's Healthier Me, children who are depressed may be more likely to smoke and become overweight by the time they are teenagers.

In a study of 200 children diagnosed with clinical depression at age nine, researchers looked at siblings and other unrelated, healthy children of the same cohort. By age 16, formerly depressed kids were more likely to be obese, smoke, and lead a sedentary lifestyle -- all of which are risk factors for heart disease.