Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News

Kids With Obese Friends And Family More Likely To Misperceive Weight

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry;  Sports Medicine / Fitness
Article Date: 18 Sep 2008 - 15:00 PST

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:1 and a half stars

1.5 (2 votes)

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Kids and teens surrounded by overweight peers or parents are more likely to be oblivious to their own extra pounds than kids from thin entourages, according to a new study by researchers from the Université de Montréal, McGill University, Concordia University and the Ste. Justine Hospital Research Centre.

"When children's parents and schoolmates are overweight or obese, their own overweight status may seem normal by comparison. The higher the BMI of their friends and family, the more kids are likely to underestimate their weight - a trend consistent for both sexes, regardless of the socioeconomic levels of their school or family," said lead author Katerina Maximova, a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill University.

"Peers and parents have an enormous impact on kids' weight perception and when they live in environments in which people they see on a daily basis, such as parents and schoolmates, are overweight or obese, they may develop inaccurate perceptions of what constitutes appropriate weight status. So it is important that we help them correct their misperceptions and help them recognize that they may be at risk."

Published in a summer edition of the International Journal of Obesity, the original study was part of the Quebec Health and Social Survey that investigated children from three different age groups - 9, 13 and 16 years old - from 178 schools across Quebec. Researchers analyzed the body mass index (BMI) of 3,665 children and adolescents and found about 14 percent of students were overweight (BMI of 25 and over), 9 percent were obese (BMI of 30 and over), but only 1.6 percent of kids perceived themselves as having excess weight.

To analyze weight misperceptions, investigators used the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale, which features images of seven sex-specific silhouettes that are underweight to obese. Participants selected figures they perceived as corresponding to their appearance and researchers found that younger participants were most vulnerable to under-evaluating their weight.

"If you are surrounded by overweight people, you may be more vulnerable to distorted perceptions about your own weight," says Tracie Barnett, from the Université de Montréal Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and Ste-Justine Hospital Research Centre.

"I think this speaks to the importance of children's every day settings like school, home and neighborhood, and how these environments can influence our health in many ways. Obesity rates have nearly tripled in Canada over the past two decades and helping children to maintain or achieve healthy weight remains a substantial challenge. Since children are influenced by their surroundings, health promotion programs targeting healthy weight should take this into account."

Compared to youth with healthy BMI's, overweight or obese kids were more likely to significantly underestimate their weight, which is the crux of the public health issue. "Accurately perceiving oneself as overweight or obese is an important cue to take action," says Jennifer J. McGrath, a psychology professor and director of the Pediatric Public Health Psychology Lab at Concordia University.

"That's why obesity prevention programs should be created to help youth correct their weight misperceptions. If youth recognize themselves as being overweight or obese, they are more likely to adopt healthy lifestyles and it is important that healthy lifestyle behaviors are adopted early in life when kids are more malleable and habits are being established."

About the study

"Do you see what I see? Weight status misperception and exposure to obesity among children and adolescents," from the International Journal of Obesity, was authored by Katerina Maximova and Gilles Paradis of McGill University, Jennifer J. McGrath of Concordia University, Tracie Barnett, Jennifer O'Loughlin and Marie Lambert of the Université de Montréal and Ste. Justine Hospital Research Centre.

Partners in research

This study was funded by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services and by Health Canada.

On the Web

About the journal the International Journal of Obesity
About the Université de Montréal
About McGill University
About Concordia University
About the Pediatric Public Health Psychology Lab
About Ste. Justine Hospital

Ste. Justine Hospital




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Haiti Appeal

Haiti Appeal Image
The severe earthquake that struck Haiti has inflicted damage and devastation on a massive scale. Please donate to the Doctors Without Borders Haiti Appeal.

PLEASE DONATE HERE


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
What Is My Ideal Weight? How Much Should I Weigh?
11 Aug 2009
A person's ideal body weight is determined by several factors, such as age, muscle-fat ratio, height, sex, and bone density. Some say your Body Mass Index (BMI) is the ideal way to calculate whether your body weight is ideal...


Simple Exercises for Leg Cramps image Simple Exercises for Leg Cramps

Simple exercises can help ease the pain from chronic leg cramps...

Cutting the Fat With Apple Pie image Cutting the Fat With Apple Pie

Trim the fat content found in a traditional apple pie by using this version's special crust...

View more videos...