Background: Improving quality of life is often referred to as the cornerstone of health promotion. Previous research has posited that significant relationships exist between health status and psychological measures of health (e.g, self-esteem, distress, etc.). Similarly, with the exception of overweight adolescents, objective measures of health (e.g., BMI) have not shown to be as related to health status. Even less is known about the relationship between measures of perceived quality of life (e.g., life satisfaction) and weight perceptions and dietary behavior, particularly among middle school-aged adolescents. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the association between weight perceptions and unhealthy dieting behaviors and overall life satisfaction of 244 7th and 8th grade students using the 2005 CDC Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Methods: Separate models were created for males and females. Seven questions composed the independent variables of weight perceptions and dieting behavior in this study resulting in moderate to substantial test-retest reliability [Kappas 51.6 to 77.3] over a two-week period. Perceived overall life satisfaction served as the dependent variables.
Results: ANOVA analyses and Tukey Honest Significant Difference (HSD) tests revealed that females were significantly more likely to report reduced life satisfaction if they reported being overweight, ate less, fasted, or took diet pills to lose weight (effect sizes ranged from 1.10 to 5.53) (p<.01). Males were also significantly more likely to report reduced life satisfaction if they reported being overweight, or fasted to lose weight (effect sizes ranged from 4.39 to 4.97) (p<.05).
Conclusions: This was the first study to examine perceived life satisfaction among middle school students on weight perceptions and dieting behavior. Observed effect sizes were clinically large. Results suggest that unhealthy weight perceptions and dieting behaviors develop early in adolescence that impact students' satisfaction with their lives. In addition, comprehensive programs for prevention of eating and body image problems for adolescents are needed and these carefully designed educational and intervention efforts must also take gender differences into account.