Body image of adolescents in a multi-ethnic Caribbean population

Abstract

Objective: To examine the perceptions of body size among adolescents in Trinidad and to determine whether there were ethnic differences. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Secondary schools in Trinidad. Subjects: A stratified random sample of 1139 adolescents, aged 14 -17 y. Measurements: Silhouettes of different body sizes were used to determine perceptions of body size, while weights and heights were measured to determine actual body size. Results: A total of 1090 students (96% response rate) participated, comprising 578 (53%) females. The main ethnic groups were South Asian (49%), African (25%) and persons of mixed ethnicity (23%). The calculated body mass index (BMI) indicated that 14% were thin, 73% normal and 13% overweight; however there was a preponderance of thinness among South Asian males (28%). Whereas 68% of students correctly identified their body size, South Asian males were also more likely to overestimate their body size than the other adolescents, ie they were thinner than they thought. Overall, 64% of the sample was satisfied with their current size, but thin South Asians were more likely to be satisfied with their size than other thin adolescents (P ¼ 0.04), while overweight Africans were more likely to be satisfied than other overweight persons (P ¼ 0.03). The majority of the sample associated the normal body size with good health, but the majority also associated the overweight and obese silhouettes with wealth. In addition, 40% of them associated the male overweight and obese silhouettes with happiness. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of overweight=obesity was not high, the perception of the Trinidadian adolescent that obesity was associated with wealth, and to a lesser extent happiness, and the satisfaction of the overweight African females with their size, were all causes for concern.

Associations between weight perceptions, weight control and body fatness in a multiethnic sample of adolescent girls

“…The results presented in the present study provide an indication of a mismatch between perceived weight status and actual BF levels in a large proportion of adolescent girls. This builds upon earlier work that investigated such relationships with BMI and/or weight in limited ethnic groups (7)(8)(9)(10)(11) . Nearly half of the girls with high BF thought that they were normal or underweight, and a reasonable proportion who did not have excess BF thought that they were overweight.…”

“…The tendency for adolescent girls of African American descent to misclassify their overweight status was further reinforced by Strauss (13) and Brener et al (7) , the latter authors also observing high rates of misclassification among overweight Hispanic girls. In contrast, ethnic differences in the ability to recognise excess weight were not detected by Simeon et al (9) in a study of South Asian, African and mixed ethnicity adolescent girls. It should be noted that the majority of literature in this area originates from the United States; issues surrounding weight perceptions in countries with different health-care systems and immigration patterns are poorly understood.…”

“…In adolescent girls, external pressures to be slim can raise the importance of body image and weight perceptions in the determination of self-concept, and can lead to the adoption of dieting and exercising for weight control (5,6) . However, a number of studies suggest that discordance between perceptions of weight and actual weight status is common in young women (7)(8)(9)(10)(11) . Misconceptions of body size are of concern given the potential for negative health outcomes: girls who incorrectly perceive themselves to be overweight may face an elevated risk of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (12) .…”

BMI-based obesity cutoffs and excess adiposity in a Caribbean adolescent population of African origin

“…This global phenomenon has not escaped the Caribbean region. Recent data suggest that up to a third of children and adolescents in the region are overweight or obese (Simeon et al, 2003;Ariza et al, 2004;Benefice et al, 2004). Moreover, the pattern of obesity was reflective of that seen in adults (Gaskin and Walker, 2003).…”

Misperceptions, inactivity and maternal factors may drive obesity among Barbadian adolescents

“…Of interest is the current debate on whether Caribbean women and adolescent girls' belief that 'men prefer their women fat' [29][30][31] contributes to maintaining the preponderance of obesity seen among women 5,29 . This is in striking contrast to the findings in other societies, where girls would expect obesity to have negative social consequences 32 .…”