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A study involving more than 745,000 adolescents from 41 countries in Europe and North America identified an increase in the number of teens who underestimate their body weight.
Tracking data from 2002 to 2018, the findings, published in Obesity in children and adolescentsshow a noticeable decrease in those who also overestimate their weight.
The team of international experts who conducted the study warns that these shifting trends in body weight perceptions may reduce the effectiveness of public health interventions aimed at weight reduction in young people.
“During this impressionable age, body weight perception can influence a young person’s lifestyle choices, such as the amount and type of food they eat and their exercise habits,” said lead author Doctor Anouk Geraets, from the Department of Social Sciences, at the University of Luxembourg. .
“So it is concerning that we are seeing a trend where fewer adolescents consider themselves overweight, as this could undermine ongoing efforts to address rising obesity in this age group. Young people who underestimate their weight and therefore do not believe they are overweight people may not feel they need to lose excess weight and as a result may make unhealthy lifestyle choices.”
A person’s perception of their body weight may not accurately reflect their actual weight. A discrepancy in body weight perception (BWP) can be either an underestimation (where actual weight is greater than perceived weight) or an overestimation (where actual weight is less than perceived weight).
The researchers examined survey data from 746,121 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds from 41 countries, collected at four-year intervals between 2002 and 2018, for the International Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC), a WHO collaborative study.
The team modeled trends in BWP among adolescents in different countries over time, making adjustments for age, gender and family socioeconomic status. They found:
- Underestimation of weight status increased and overestimation of weight status decreased over time in both sexes, with stronger trends for girls.
- Correct weight perception increased over time in girls, while it decreased in boys.
- Changes in correct weight perception, underestimation and overestimation of weight status differed between countries, but these changes could not be explained by an increase in the prevalence of overweight/obesity at country level.
The authors speculated that the perceived differences between girls and boys in BWP might support the idea that there are sex differences in body ideals – and that these body ideals have changed over time. In particular, the increased underestimation and decreased overestimation of weight status over time for girls can be explained by the emergence of an athletic and strong body, as a new contemporary body ideal for both sexes.
“This study has implications for clinical practice and public health. The increase in correct weight perception and the decrease in overestimation may have a positive effect on unnecessary and unhealthy weight loss behaviors in adolescents, while the increase in underestimation may indicate the need for interventions to to reinforce proper weight gain.” weight perception,” says lead author doctor Anouk Geraets.
“More research is now needed to understand the factors underlying these time trends and develop effective public health interventions.”
While the large number of participating countries is a strength of the current study, since it only includes countries in Europe, the US and Canada, the results cannot be generalized to other regions. In addition, while steps have been taken to adjust the models for certain potential confounders, several other factors, such as body image, diets, changing eating patterns, or migration, may also have played a role in the observed trends over time.
More information:
Cross-national time trends in adolescent body weight perceptions and the explanatory role of overweight/obesity prevalence, Obesity in children and adolescents (2023). DOI: 10.1080/2574254X.2023.2218148. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1 … 574254X.2023.2218148
Quote: Fewer teens now consider themselves overweight, finds international study of more than 745,000 adolescents (2023, July 3) Retrieved July 3, 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-teens-overweight-international -adolescents. html
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