Prospective effects of weight perception and weight comments on psychological health among Chinese adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prospective effects of weight perception of self and weight comments by others on psychological health problems among Chinese adolescents.


METHODS
In the Hong Kong Student Obesity Surveillance project, 8716 adolescents (41.3% boys) aged 14.2 +/- 1.7 years were followed prospectively. Logistic regression yielded odds ratios (ORs) for psychological health problems at 1-year follow-up by weight comments received and weight perception at baseline (2006), adjusting for each other sociodemographic factors and body mass index.


RESULTS
Perceived fatness at baseline predicted subsequent headache and feeling stressful with adjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) of 1.17 (1.03-1.33) and 1.20 (1.03-1.39), respectively. Perceived thinness at baseline did not predict any subsequent health problems. Receiving incorrect weight comments at baseline also predicted headache, feeling stressful and feeling depressed at follow-up, with adjusted ORs of 1.19 (1.08-1.31), 1.26 (1.04-1.53) and 1.38 (1.10-1.74) respectively. No gender difference was found in the effects of weight perception and weight comments on psychological outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
In adolescents, perceived fatness and incorrect weight comments predicted psychological health problems at 1-year follow-up. Family members, peers and other social contacts should realize the potential adverse effects of their weight comments, and adolescents should be taught how to correctly assess their weight status.
Lo
Wing-Sze
WS
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Ho
Sai-Yin
SY
Mak
Kwok-Kei
KK
Wong
Yee-Man
YM
Lai
Yuen-Kwan
YK
Lam
Tai-Hing
TH
D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D008603:Mental Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept