title: Peer victimization, caregiver restriction of food intake, and degree of overweight in youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although caregiver restriction of child food intake is a common weight control strategy, factors that make a caregiver more likely to engage in restriction have not been fully explored. This study examined the relations between child weight, peer victimization, and restriction. Peer victimization was expected to serve as a mechanism through which child weight was associated with restriction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred fourteen youth (6-17 yr) were recruited from pediatric primary care clinics in the South. Youth reported their levels of peer victimization, and caregivers reported on their use of restriction of child food intake. Child height and weight were obtained from medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ethnic minority adolescent females were more likely to be obese than nonethnic minority adolescents/children. Greater child body mass index (BMI)-z was associated with increased caregiver restriction (B = 0.86, p < .05) and peer victimization (B = 0.66, p < .05). When peer victimization was entered into the model of BMI-z predicting caregiver restriction of child food intake, the relationship between these 2 variables decreased from 74% to 46% and was no longer significant (B = 0.68, p = .08). However, the test of the indirect effect was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater degree of overweight was associated with increased peer victimization, which in turn related to caregiver restriction of food intake. Children's social relationships may serve as an impetus for caregivers to engage in child weight control practices. Clinicians should regularly screen for weight-related peer difficulties and provide caregivers with guidance on healthy versus unhealthy weight control practices to promote overall child health.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL; †Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; and ‡Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida Health, Gainesville, FL.
authors.forename: Wendy N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Janicke
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dumont-Driscoll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010379:Peer Group; D012737:Sex Factors; D015144:Southeastern United States / Q000453:epidemiology