Weight-Related Concerns and Behaviors Among Overweight and Nonoverweight Adolescents

Abstract

Prevention interventions that address the broad spectrum of weight-related disorders, enhance skill development for behavioral change, and provide support for dealing with potentially harmful social norms are warranted in light of the high prevalence and co-occurrence of obesity and unhealthy weight-related behaviors.

Effects of social contexts on overweight and normal-weight children's food intake

“…One account based on impression management of eating is that overweight participants suppressed their intake in front of others to convey a good impression. Research shows that overweight youths are aware of weight stigmatization, [25,29,31,[43][44][45] and a corollary of these prejudiced attitudes is that overweight individuals may suppress their food intake when in front of others to avoid incurring the stigmas attributed to overweight individuals [9,11], and also because they believe that doing so will increase social approval (e.g., [10]). An alternative explanation based on modeling, is that overweight youth relied on their co-eaters' intake to determine how much they should eat, which is consistent with an informational interpretation of conformity [10].…”

“…This is surprising as research shows that negative social interactions may be among the most detrimental experiences on unhealthy eating habits in youth [25] and that overweight youth are significantly more likely than their non-overweight peers to report binge eating [26][27][28][29][30][31]. In this respect, it is useful here to remember that pathological eating is more likely to occur when eaters are alone than when they are with others [32] and the introduction of another person into the eating situation is likely to stop the binge in its tracks [33].…”

Unhealthy weight control behaviours in adolescent girls: a process model based on self-determination theory

“…Adapted from similar scales previously used by Neumark-Sztainer et al (2002, participants were asked whether they had engaged in any of the following behaviours in order to lose weight in the last year: "taken laxatives or water pills", "taken diet pills", "skipped meals", "fasted (not eaten) for a day or more", and "made yourself throw up". The participants were asked to rate the extent to which they had engaged in each behaviour using a scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always).…”

“…For descriptive purposes, the participants engaging in one or more of each behaviour "a little" (2), "sometimes" (3), "a lot" (4), or "always" (5) were classified as using unhealthy weight control behaviours (see Table 2). Internal reliability coefficients from past research are not available, as weight control behaviours have traditionally been measured in a dichotomous fashion (e.g., Neumark-Sztainer et al, 2002. Body Image Concerns.…”

Calidad de vida, según percepción y comportamientos de control del peso por género, en estudiantes universitarios adolescentes en México

“…trada de comportamientos de control del peso no saludables es mayor en mujeres que en hombres, coincide con un estudio en EEUU en 4.746 adolescentes de escuelas públicas, donde la existencia de estos comportamientos fue reportado en un 18% de las adolescentes y en un 6% de los adolescentes con mucho sobrepeso 32 . En cuanto a CV, las puntuaciones tienden hacia valores altos, tanto en las medias como en los puntos de corte observados, lo que refleja para este instrumento que son personas que tienen condiciones favorables al ser admitidos en la universidad y que las puntuaciones más bajas en el dominio personal son, probablemente, debidas a que durante la adolescencia el individuo aún mantiene aspectos de su identidad sin consolidar.…”