Untitled

Abstract

BackgroundObesity is disproportionately prevalent among many racial/ethnic minority communities. The efficacy of weight control efforts in these groups may depend on individual's ability to accurately perceive their weight status. We examined whether racial/ethnic differences exist in weight status misperception among overweight adults.MethodsNationally-representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2002 were examined. Participants included overweight and obese adult men (n = 3115) and women (n = 3437). Weight status misperception was identified among respondents who self-reported being "about the right weight/underweight."ResultsBlacks (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.71, 2.54) were twice as likely and Hispanics (OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.33, 2.17) were 70-percent more likely than Whites to misperceive their weight, in models adjusted for age, education, income, marital status, self-reported health, and self-reported medical diagnosis of overweight. Black overweight (OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.26, 3.26) and obese (OR = 3.56, 95% CI: 1.57, 8.11) women were considerably more likely to exhibit misperception compared to their White female counterparts. Odds of misperception were higher among overweight Black (OR = 2.20, 95%CI: 1.54, 3.15), Hispanic (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.30, 2.75), and obese Black men (OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.54, 5.22), compared to White men.ConclusionWeight status misperceptions among the overweight are more common among Blacks, and Hispanic men. The persistence of racial/ethnic differences after adjustment for medical diagnosis of overweight may suggest some resistance to physician weight counseling. Identifying strategies to correct weight status misperceptions status may be necessary to ensure the efficacy of clinical and public health obesity interventions conducted among these groups.

Addressing cultural, racial and ethnic discrepancies in guideline discordant gestational weight gain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Moreover, perceptions about GWG also vary by cultural beliefs and are often linked to how cultures view body size (Groth, Morrison-Beedy & Meng, 2012). Black women perceive themselves to be of normal weight at higher BMI categories than White women (Bennett & Wolin, 2006). Similarly, Hispanic women express concern of gaining weight excessively over pregnancy, but still define attractiveness as having a fuller body and hips (Tovar et al., 2010).…”

Perceptions of overweight in US and global cultures

“…As noted (Subsection 1.1), many overweight individuals in the US perceive themselves to be "About Right" rather than overweight (Bennett & Wolin, 2006;Dorsey et al, 2009), the number of overweight adults who perceive themselves in this manner has increased together with levels of obesity (Burke et al, 2010), and the overweight have been less likely to participate in weight control efforts (Dorsey et al, 2010;Duncan et al, 2011).…”

“…Specifically, many US adults who are overweight by BMI standards do not consider themselves overweight, and this perception is more prominent in populations with high rates of obesity. For example, men, Blacks, Hispanics, and the less educated were more likely to give estimates of weight status that were lower than their BMI weight categories (Bennett & Wolin, 2006;Dorsey, Eberhardt, & Ogden, 2009). However, rather than underestimates of weight status, the participants in these studies rendered accurate comparisons of their weights in the context of their social environments and associated weight norms (Johnson, Stewart, & Pusser, 2012).…”

Ethnic density and obesity: Evidence from fixed-effects models

“…Living in metropolitan areas or counties with a higher proportion of co-ethnics increases the likelihood of strong social ties with co-ethnics, which would likely influence perceptions of ideal body size (Hruschka et al, 2011) and social norms concerning body size (Christakis and Fowler, 2007). Because overweight and obese blacks and Latinos are more likely than their white counterparts to underestimate their weight, to fail to identify themselves as overweight or obese (Paeratakul et al, 2002;Chithambo and Huey, 2013;Dorsey et al, 2009;Bennett and Wolin, 2006;Park et al, 2011;Mirza et al, 2005), and to express satisfaction with their body size (Ali et al, 2013;Chithambo and Huey, 2013;Thomas et al, 2008), larger body sizes may be more acceptable in areas with higher densities of blacks and Latinos.…”