title: Weight status, quality of life, and self-concept in African American, Hispanic, and white fifth-grade children.
abstract: This study examined the association between weight status and quality of life (QOL) in fifth-grade African American, Hispanic, and white children and the potential mediation of this relationship by self-concept. A sample was recruited from fifth-grade public school students in three sites, of whom 599 were African American (40%), Hispanic (34%), or white (26%). During a home interview, physical and psychosocial QOL and global and body-specific self-concept were measured. Measured height and weight were used to calculate BMI. In this sample, 57% were classified by BMI as not overweight, 17%, overweight, and 26%, obese. Although there was no significant interaction between weight classification and race/ethnicity for QOL, obese children reported significantly lower psychosocial but not physical QOL than those classified as not overweight. There was a significant association between BMI (measured continuously) and psychosocial QOL, but only 2% of the variance was accounted for. Both global self-concept and body dissatisfaction independently mediated significant portions of the association between BMI and psychosocial QOL. Being obese in childhood may have negative psychosocial effects.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Sciences Section, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts, University of California, Merced, California, USA. wallander@ucmerced.edu
authors.forename: Jan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wallander
authors.forename: Wendell C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Jo Anne
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Grunbaum
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: Gail G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kelder
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schuster
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*