title: The role of social support for promoting quality of life among persistently obese adolescents: importance of support in schools.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite school-based and other interventions for pediatric obesity, many obese youth of the present generation will persist in their obesity into adolescence and adulthood. Thus, understanding not only how better to tailor weight interventions but how to promote overall adjustment for persistently obese youth is of utmost importance. This study examined the role of perceived social support in predicting later psychosocial status (ie, weight-related quality of life) for persistently obese adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a longitudinal design whereby persistently obese and nonoverweight comparison youth completed measures at 2 time points approximately 4 years apart.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obese youth reported lower levels of social support than comparison youth. Among obese youth, classmate and teacher support predicted future weight-related quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social support, particularly from classmates, is an important predictor for the longitudinal psychosocial functioning of persistently obese youth. High levels of perceived teacher support may signal the presence of other psychosocial difficulties. Implications for school-based interventions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, (yelena.wu@utah.edu), Division of Public Health Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute University of Utah, 375 Chipeta Way, Suite A Salt Lake City, UT 84108.
authors.forename: Yelena P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reiter-Purtill
authors.forename: Meg H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zeller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012572:School Health Services; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: longitudinal; obesity; quality of life; school-based intervention; social support