title: Do parents or siblings engage in more negative weight-based talk with children and what does it sound like? A mixed-methods study.
abstract: The current mixed-methods study examined the prevalence of negative weight-based talk across multiple family members (i.e., mother, father, older/younger brother, older/younger sister) and analyzed qualitative data to identify what negative weight-based talk sounds like in the home environment. Children (n=60; ages 9-12) and their families from low income and minority households participated in the study. Children reported the highest prevalence of negative weight-based talk from siblings. Among specific family members, children reported a higher prevalence of negative weight-based talk from mothers and older brothers. In households with younger brothers, children reported less negative weight-based talk compared to other household compositions. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated that mothers' negative weight-based talk focused on concerns about child health, whereas fathers' and siblings' negative weight-based talk focused on child appearance and included teasing. Results suggest that interventions targeting familial negative weight-based talk may need to be tailored to specific family members.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Electronic address: jberge@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Jerica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Berge
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hanson-Bradley
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D036301:Qualitative Research; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Children; Obesity; Parents; Siblings; Weight talk; Weight teasing