Abstract
BackgroudThe purpose of this study was to describe actual measured weight and perceived weight and to explore associations with depressive, anxiety symptoms in school adolescents in China.MethodsA sample of 1144 Chinese adolescents was randomly selected from four schools in Wuhan, China, including 665 boys and 479 girls with ages ranging between 10 and 17 years. Actual measured weight and height and perceived weight status were compared to anxiety and depressive symptoms measured using the revised Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Children's Depression Inventory. A general linear model was used to compare differences in psychological symptoms among the teenagers with different measured and perceived weights.ResultsWhen compared with standardized weight tables (WHO age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) cutoffs (2007 reference)), girls were more likely to misperceive themselves as overweight, whereas more boys misclassified their weight status as underweight. The adolescents who perceived themselves as overweight were more likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms (except girls) than those who perceived themselves as normal and/or underweight. However, no significant association was found between depressive and anxiety symptoms actual measured weight status.ConclusionsPerceived weight status, but not the actual weight status, was associated with psychological symptoms.
Highlights
Adolescence is a critical period when dramatic physical, psychological and social developments take place [1]
With the growth spurt that occurs at this time, most adolescents are very concerned about their body weights and shape, which have been defined as ‘body image’ [2,3], and how others perceive their body image
A total of 1144 students (665 boys and 479 girls) from the four selected schools were included in this study, and 79.5% of the sample (72.8% of boys and 88.9% of girls) had entered puberty
Summary
Adolescence is a critical period when dramatic physical, psychological and social developments take place [1]. With the growth spurt that occurs at this time, most adolescents are very concerned about their body weights and shape, which have been defined as ‘body image’ [2,3], and how others perceive their body image. The “ideal” body images are usually affected by what appears in the mass media, other cultural outlets, and the attitudes of their peers. Todd indicated that appearance-related social pressure and social comparison as well as appearance concerns did not directly reflecting body size or weight [13]. Recurring messages from the media, family, and peers that one is not thin enough, affect the “ideal” body image. These pressures foster discontent with the individual’s body size or body weight
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