Weight perception, academic performance, and psychological factors in Chinese adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate weight perception and related psychological factors in Chinese adolescents.


METHODS
A questionnaire on weight perception, academic performance, stress, hostility, and depression was completed by 6863 middle and high school students. Weight and height were measured.


RESULTS
Overweight perception was related to school-related stress and depression in both girls and boys (P<0.01) and to hostility in boys (P<0.01). Perceived over-weight was related to lower GPA in girls only (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Distorted weight perception has a detrimental psychological impact on Chinese adolescents. These findings may contribute to the obesity research and to the development of future effective intervention programs in China.
Hamovitch Research Center, School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. bxie@usc.edu
Bin
B
Xie
Chih-Ping
CP
Chou
Donna
D
Spruijt-Metz
Kim
K
Reynolds
Florence
F
Clark
Paula H
PH
Palmer
Peggy
P
Gallaher
Ping
P
Sun
Qian
Q
Guo
C Anderson
CA
Johnson
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires