Weight & Health in Adolescents
Weight Loss Study Aim
The present study assessed satisfaction with weight, shape, and physical
appearance, as well as the frequency of weight reduction efforts, in four
well-defined groups of adolescents: (1) normal-weight girls; (2) normal-weight
boys; (3) obese girls; and (4) obese boys. Subjects were selected from
453 females and 355 males from a parochial school. In addition to the
measurements of height and weight, adolescents completed a series of questionnaires
on weight and dieting, weight and figure satisfaction, parents' attitudes
toward weight, and anxiety.
Weight Loss Study Results
Only 49 percent of obese boys had tried to lose weight over the past year
as compared to 90 percent of the obese girls. Only 13 percent of the obese
boys were currently dieting as compared to 62 percent of the obese girls.
Despite the relative equivalence of weight in the obese boys and girls,
the boys perceived themselves to be less overweight and happier with their
looks than obese girls. Thirty-three percent of normal-weight girls were
dieting, and 70 percent had attempted weight loss over the past year.
They were significantly less happy with their weight and figure than were
average-weight boys and, remarkably, did not differ significantly from
overweight boys on these measures.
Weight Loss Study Issues
Obese adolescent males, in particular, need to be educated about the potential
liabilities of their excess weight and encouraged to take appropriate
action to correct it.
Source: Steen SN, Wadden TA, Foster GD,
Andersen RE. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
19104-2648, USA. 1996
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