Bettina M Beech1,2,3, Marino A Bruce2,3,4, Samantha Cohen-Winans5, Kisa Harris4, Raymond Jones6, Rachel S Tyrone4, Roland J Thorpe2,3,7. 1. Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Houston, Houston, TX. 2. Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. 3. Program for Research on Faith, Justice, and Health, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Houston, Houston, TX. 4. Department of Population Health Science, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS. 5. Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. 6. School of Medicine, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. 7. Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.
Abstract
Background: Weight misperception is a common problem among adolescents; however, few studies have examined contributing factors among an exclusively African American population. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with weight misperception among 12- to 19-year-old participants in the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study (JHS-KIDS). Methods: Data were drawn from JHS-KIDS, a prospective, observational examination of cardiovascular-related risk factors among African American adolescents who were children or grandchildren of participants in the Jackson Heart Study. Adolescent weight misperception - discordance between measured weight status and perceived weight status - was the primary outcome of interest. Self-reported weight control behaviors, parent concerns about adolescents' weight, parent-perceived responsibility for adolescent's weight and daily hassles were the primary independent variables of interest. Results: The analytic sample was equally divided by females (n=107) and males (n=105) and one third of study participants (33.5%) had discordance between their actual and perceived weight. Results from fully adjusted sex-stratified modified Poisson regression models indicated that weight behavior control was significant among females (PR = .66, 95%CI:1.20-2.30). Parental concerns about child weight were significant for males. Each additional point increase in the parent's concern about their weight score was associated with a 9% increase in the adjusted prevalence of weight misperception among males (95%CI: 1.03-1.16). Conclusions: The sex-specific patterns in this study highlight heterogeneity among African American adolescents and an urgent need to consider sex and gender when developing targeted interventions for youth who are at high risk for weight misperceptions and unhealthy weight control practices.
Background: Weight misperception is a common problem among adolescents; however, few studies have examined contributing factors among an exclusively African American population. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with weight misperception among 12- to 19-year-old participants in the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study (JHS-KIDS). Methods: Data were drawn from JHS-KIDS, a prospective, observational examination of cardiovascular-related risk factors among African American adolescents who were children or grandchildren of participants in the Jackson Heart Study. Adolescent weight misperception - discordance between measured weight status and perceived weight status - was the primary outcome of interest. Self-reported weight control behaviors, parent concerns about adolescents' weight, parent-perceived responsibility for adolescent's weight and daily hassles were the primary independent variables of interest. Results: The analytic sample was equally divided by females (n=107) and males (n=105) and one third of study participants (33.5%) had discordance between their actual and perceived weight. Results from fully adjusted sex-stratified modified Poisson regression models indicated that weight behavior control was significant among females (PR = .66, 95%CI:1.20-2.30). Parental concerns about child weight were significant for males. Each additional point increase in the parent's concern about their weight score was associated with a 9% increase in the adjusted prevalence of weight misperception among males (95%CI: 1.03-1.16). Conclusions: The sex-specific patterns in this study highlight heterogeneity among African American adolescents and an urgent need to consider sex and gender when developing targeted interventions for youth who are at high risk for weight misperceptions and unhealthy weight control practices.
Authors: Erin R Hager; Margo Candelaria; Laura W Latta; Kristen M Hurley; Yan Wang; Laura E Caulfield; Maureen M Black Journal: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med Date: 2012-05
Authors: Sanne M P L Gerards; Jessica S Gubbels; Pieter C Dagnelie; Stef P J Kremers; Annette Stafleu; Nanne K de Vries; Carel Thijs Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2014-03-31 Impact factor: 3.295