Assessing weight perception accuracy to promote weight loss among U.S. female adolescents: A secondary analysis

Abstract

BackgroundOverweight and obesity have become a global epidemic. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among U.S. adolescents has almost tripled in the last 30 years. Results from recent systematic reviews demonstrate that no single, particular intervention or strategy successfully assists overweight or obese adolescents in losing weight. An understanding of factors that influence healthy weight-loss behaviors among overweight and obese female adolescents promotes effective, multi-component weight-loss interventions. There is limited evidence demonstrating associations between demographic variables, body-mass index, and weight perception among female adolescents trying to lose weight. There is also a lack of previous studies examining the association of the accuracy of female adolescents' weight perception with their efforts to lose weight. This study, therefore, examined the associations of body-mass index, weight perception, and weight-perception accuracy with trying to lose weight and engaging in exercise as a weight-loss method among a representative sample of U.S. female adolescents.MethodsA nonexperimental, descriptive, comparative secondary analysis design was conducted using data from Wave II (1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Data representative of U.S. female adolescents (N = 2216) were analyzed using STATA statistical software. Descriptive statistics and survey weight logistic regression were performed to determine if demographic and independent (body-mass index, weight perception, and weight perception accuracy) variables were associated with trying to lose weight and engaging in exercise as a weight-loss method.ResultsAge, Black or African American race, body-mass index, weight perception, and weight perceptions accuracy were consistently associated with the likeliness of trying to lose weight among U.S. female adolescents. Age, body-mass index, weight perception, and weight-perception accuracy were positively associated (p < 0.05) with trying to lose weight. Black/African American subjects were significantly less likely than their White counterparts to be trying to lose weight. There was no association between demographic or independent variables and engaging in exercise as a weight-loss method.ConclusionsFindings suggest that factors influencing weight-loss efforts, including age, race, body-mass index, weight perception, and weight-perception accuracy, should be incorporated into existing or new multi-component weight-loss interventions for U.S. adolescent females in order to help reduce the national epidemic of overweight and obesity among U.S. female adolescents.

Body Mass Index Self‐Perception and Weight Management Behaviors During Late Adolescence

“…The current study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of variables associated with the decision to try to lose weight among overweight and obese adolescents. The results agree with previous studies 4,5,[7][8][9] concluding that accurate perception of body weight was a significant factor associated with weight-loss efforts. This study extends the knowledge by focusing on a narrow age group (16-19 years), which may represent a pivotal time for establishing factors that could affect whether adolescents will have lifelong weight control problems.…”

“…6 Accurate self-perception of weight is important because adolescents with an accurate perception of their weight are more likely to attempt weight control. 4,5,[7][8][9] However, among 9th to 12th graders, 30.6% of overweight adolescents inaccurately perceived their weight. After controlling for age, ethnicity, and actual body mass index (BMI), accurate weight perception was significantly positively related to healthy weight management behaviors.…”

Gender Differences in Body Mass Index, Body Weight Perception, weight satisfaction, disordered eating and Weight control strategies among Indian Medical and Nursing Undergraduates

“…(21) Earlier research indicates that female adolescents tend to perceive their body weight inaccurately when compared to BMI. (22) Similarly, in our study, approximately equal percentage (13.1%) of men and women perceived themselves as under weight or over weight. While men underestimate their weight, women felt that they were obese.…”

Menopause, Rurality, And Obesity in Rural African American Women

“…Recently a number of researchers reported that among high school and college AA students with increased BMIs, most perceived themselves as overweight and obese and were more likely to be dieting (Drane, Paxton, & Valois, 2004;Yost, Krainovich-Miller, Budin, & Norman, 2010). This suggests that among younger generations of AAW perceptions about body size and image are changing.…”

“…This suggests that among younger generations of AAW perceptions about body size and image are changing. However, while AAW acknowledged familiarity with weight loss measures and the need to maintain a healthy weight (Yost et al, 2010), many reported that their desire for a fuller figure was to please their significant others (Allan, 1998;Demarest & Allen, 2000;Gore, 1999;Parasecoli, 2007). These studies suggest that cultural beliefs, perceptions, and social pressures in the environment are factors influencing obesity among AAW rather than mainstream identification with obesity and body image/size.…”