Weight perception and its association with socio-demographic and health-related factors among Korean adolescents.

Anna Shin,Chung Mo Nam

doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2624-2

Abstract

BackgroundAdolescence is a time of rapid growth with dramatic changes in physical appearance. The body image established at this time could affect their physical and mental health throughout their entire life. However, adolescents sometimes perceive themselves as underweight or overweight irrespective of actual weight status. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent of weight misperception for Korean adolescents, to explore socio-demographic factors associated with weight misperception, and to examine gender-specific differences in the relationships between weight misperception and health-related factors.MethodsWe selected data on 3321 adolescents aged 12–18 years from the five-year Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) datasets (2007–2011). Self-perceived weight status was compared with measured weight status by cross-tabulation. The generalized logit model was used to explore the socio-demographic factors associated with weight misperception, and separate logistic regression models were fitted to examine gender-specific differences in the relationships between weight misperception and health-related factors.ResultsOverall, 25.8 % of boys (overestimation 17.1 %; underestimation 8.6 %) and 29.3 % of girls (overestimation 24.0 %; underestimation 5.3 %) misclassified their weight status according to the objective standards. Weight overestimation was particularly prominent among underweight girls. Weight misperception was associated with socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, BMI, place of residence, and maternal education level. Weight overestimation and underestimation in boys and weight overestimation in girls were significantly related to inappropriate weight control practice. However, weight underestimation in girls seems to be negatively linked to inappropriate weight control practice.ConclusionsBased on the results of the present study, comprehensive intervention programs for adolescents and their parents could be devised to raise self-awareness of their weight status, to overcome weight misperception, and to prevent obesity and its related health risks.

Highlights

Adolescence is a time of rapid growth with dramatic changes in physical appearance
The purpose of the present study was to quantify the extent of weight misperception for a nationally representative sample of South Korean adolescents using body mass index (BMI) based on anthropometric measurements, to explore socio-demographic factors associated with weight misperception, and to examine gender-specific differences in the relationships between weight misperception and health-related factors
Agreement between objective weight status and self-perceived weight status Table 1 presents the general characteristics of the study participants according to sex

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is a time of rapid growth with dramatic changes in physical appearance. The body image established at this time could affect their physical and mental health throughout their entire life. Shin and Nam BMC Public Health (2015) 15:1292 status (SES), and media exposure [5,6,7,8,9,10] It is associated with health-related factors, such as weight control practice and psychosocial impairment [11,12,13]. Previous studies suggested that body weight/shape concerns were potential mediators of the association between obesity and psychosocial impairment [14, 15]. These findings indicate the need to target weight perception in the clinical management of obesity in order to improve both physical health and psychosocial outcomes [14]. Weight misperception is a meaningful variable in obesity prevention and treatment for adolescents

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion