title: Weight misperception and health risk behaviors among early adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations between weight misperception and youth health risk and protective factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three thousand ten US seventh-graders (72.1% white, mean age: 12.7 years) self-reported height, weight, risk, and protective factors. Analyses were conducted  to determine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between weight overestimation and health risk and protective factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Risk and protective factors had significant cross-sectional associations with weight overestimation. However, only depressive symptoms and reduced  optimism predicted weight overestimation in eighth grade. Weight overestimation did not predict engagement in risky behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weight overestimation and risk factors appear to co-occur, suggesting a constellation of risk that warrants further research.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Austin, TX, USA. kpasch@mail.utexas.edu
authors.forename: Keryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Pasch
authors.forename: Elizabeth G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Melissa N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Laska
authors.forename: Cayley E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Velazquez
authors.forename: Stacey G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Moe
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lytle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires