Body Weight Overestimation in Adolescents and Its Relationship with Weight Management Behavior
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Date
2015-03-25
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Abstract
In the United States, 20 million men and women suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. The National Eating Disorder Association reports that by age six, girls especially start to express concerns about their own weight. Eating disorders are often associated with adolescents’ prior risky behaviors such as poor weight management strategies, as well as inaccurate body image. Early identification of this at-risk population is crucial in order for preventive measures to be successful. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine distorted body image (body weight overestimation in normal or underweight adolescents) and the relationship that this outlook has with weight management strategies. The population sample came from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) that was established through the Center for Disease Control as part of their Youth Risk Surveillance System. This is an annual, national survey given to high school students focused on identifying risky behaviors and experiences. This study is a retrospective cross-sectional design and data files were downloaded through the YRBS website and were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for complex samples. Preliminary analysis indicates that 27.1% of adolescents with a BMI in the underweight category perceived their body weight to be normal, while 13.2% of adolescents with a normal BMI perceived themselves as overweight. Data will be further evaluated to compare body weight estimation and weight management behavior by both grade and gender. This study is important because identifying that an overestimation of body weight in under or normal weight adolescents from high school is related to abnormal weight management could help identify at-risk adolescents and aid in early preventive efforts.
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Health Professions - Clinical: 3rd Place (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Weight Perception, Weight Management Behavior