title: Overweight Misperception among Adolescents in the United States.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the discrepancies between perceived and reported overweight status among U.S. adolescents (n>70,000), and to identify factors contributing to such discrepancies. We used the YRBSS data (years 2001-2009) and found statistically significant, gender and race specific discrepancies between perceived and reported overweight status. Factors such as BMI, school performance, and being sexually active are additional predictors of overweight misperception. The findings suggest that evidence based strategies should be employed to help adolescents establish correct weight perception. These strategies should also be tailored based on gender, race, and weight perception of target audience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
authors.forename: Maoyong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Rutgers University, Piscataway Township, NJ.
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Health Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN. Electronic address: jkhubchandan@bsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jagdish
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Khubchandani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: Adolescents; Depression; Obesity; Overweight; Pediatric; School Health