Background/Purpose Adolescents who perceive themselves as overweight/obese may engage in healthy/unhealthy weight-control behaviors (WCBs). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the impact of perceived body image on WCBs.
Method This study analyzed data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Tennessee high school students. A complex sample multinomial logistic regression in SPSS was used with a sample of 1,847 adolescents to examine if those who perceived themselves as overweight/obese were more likely to engage in extreme WCBs (i.e., fasting, diet pills, vomiting/laxatives) than adolescents who did not perceive themselves as overweight/obese. Control variables included age, sex, body mass index, and sedentary behaviors.
Analysis/Results The analyses revealed that 29.5% (C.I.=27.5, 31.7) of adolescents perceived themselves to be overweight/obese. They were more likely than other adolescents to engage in normal WCBs (i.e., exercise, eating less) (O.R.=2.027, C.I.=1.377, 2.984, p=.001) or extreme WCBs (O.R.=3.362, C.I.=1.981, 5.707, p<.001). Girls were more likely than boys to use normal WCBs (O.R.=1.929, p<.001) or extreme WCBs (O.R.=5.240, p<.001). Normal and extreme WCBs were reported by 53.5% and 15.4% of the high school students, respectively. The model explained 18.4% of the variation in WCBs, and 56.9% of the students' behavior was correctly classified.
Conclusions In general, the results were favorable but did not achieve the standard of 70% agreement in classification. More research is needed to identify determinants of WCBs. Body image certainly has an effect on WCBs, and interventions addressing body image are needed for adolescents, especially girls, who perceive themselves as overweight/obese.
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