Community, family and individual factors influencing adolescent obesity: mediating role of parental health and the social and mental health consequences of obesity in young adulthood

Abstract

This study explores structural community adversity, family, and individual factors as potential risks of poor parental and adolescent physical health. Poor physical health among adolescents, specifically obesity, in turn may lead to educational, economic, and social disadvantages as adolescents become young adults. Community and family disadvantages uniquely influence the risk of poor general physical health among parents. Poor parental general health in turn is associated with adolescent obesity. Structural community adversity, family, and individual level influences on parental physical health and adolescent obesity emphasize the need for intervention programs to support disadvantaged youth and their families. In addition to exploring factors that influence adolescent obesity, results indicate that being obese/overweight during adolescence has a detrimental influence on a wide range of non-physical life domains. Obese/overweight adolescents are at an increased risk for a lower level of educational attainment and involvement in early sexual activities than normal weight adolescents. In addition, obese/overweight adolescents have higher levels of economic hardship and depressive symptoms in young adulthood. However, results indicate that the influence of adolescent obesity/overweight is moderated by gender.