title: Self-esteem and Body Mass Index from Adolescence to Mid-adulthood. A 26-year Follow-up.
abstract: This study examined the developmental trajectories of self-esteem and body mass index (BMI) from adolescence to mid-adulthood and the way the association between self-esteem and BMI changed during a 26-year follow-up.
  
  
  
  Participants of a Finnish cohort study in 1983 at 16 years (N = 2194) were followed up at ages 22 (N = 1656), 32 (N = 1471), and 42 (N = 1334) using postal questionnaires. Measures at each time point covered self-esteem and self-reported weight and height. Analyses were done using latent growth curve models (LGM) and difference scores.
  
  
  
  In LGM analyses among females both the initial levels (r = -0.13) and slopes (r = -0.26) of the self-esteem and BMI trajectories correlated negatively. Among males, there were no significant correlations between self-esteem and BMI growth factors. The association between increasing BMI and decreasing self-esteem among females was strongest between ages 22 and 32 (r = -0.16), while among males, increases in BMI and self-esteem correlated positively (r = 0.11) during that period. Among females, cross-sectional correlations between self-esteem and BMI showed an increasing trend (p < 0.001) from age 16 (r = -0.07) to age 42 (r = -0.17), whereas among males negative correlation (r = -0.08) emerged only in mid-adulthood at age 42.
  
  
  
  Among females, higher and increasing BMI is associated with lower and more slowly increasing self-esteem. This association is not restricted to adolescent years but persists and gets stronger in mid-adulthood. Among males, associations are weaker but indicate more age-related differences. The results highlight the need for interventions that tackle weight-related stigma and discrimination, especially among women with higher body weight and size.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland. olli.kiviruusu@thl.fi.
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kiviruusu
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konttinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Health and Social Welfare, City of Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland.
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huurre
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.|School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Hillevi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aro
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.|University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Adolescent Psychiatry, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Mauri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marttunen
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haukkala
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body mass index; Developmental trajectory; Prospective cohort study; Self-esteem; Weight status