scholarly journals Body weight and body shape concerns and related behaviours among Indian urban adolescent girls

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1075-1083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nivedita Som ◽  
Susmita Mukhopadhyay

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the associations of body weight and body shape concerns and related behaviours with actual weight status among urban adolescent girls.DesignIn the present cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on body weight and body shape concerns and related behaviours. Sociodemographic information was collected using a pre-tested schedule. Weight and height of each girl were measured to assess actual weight status.SettingTwin cities of Kolkata and Howrah, West Bengal, India.SubjectsA total of 1223 adolescent girls aged 14–19 years were selected from nine schools in Kolkata and Howrah in West Bengal.ResultsMany overweight girls perceived themselves as overweight and engaged in weight-reducing activities. However, several normal-weight girls also perceived them as overweight and attempted to lose weight. Unhealthy eating practices to reduce weight were followed by both overweight and normal-weight girls and even by a few underweight girls. Multivariate binary logistic regression showed a significant association between actual weight status and use of unhealthy weight-loss measures. The likelihood of adopting unhealthy eating practices was significantly higher among overweight than normal-weight girls.ConclusionsHealth education programmes should be introduced at schools to promote effective weight-control practices that help dispel myths about weight loss.

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reema Tayyem ◽  
Sabika Allehdan ◽  
Hiba Bawadi ◽  
Georgianna Tuuri ◽  
Mariam Al-Mannai ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations between adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ and peers’ opinions about body weight and their actual weight status. Design/methodology/approach A total of 795 Jordanian adolescents, 15-18 years of age, were recruited in this study. Adolescents completed a questionnaire to evaluate their perceptions: about how their parents’ and peers’ viewed their weight, regarding any criticism of their parents and peers about their weight and if their parents compared their weight against their siblings. Findings The study found that the majority of non-overweight adolescents thought their parents and peers considered them to have a normal weight (94.9 and 94.6 per cent for boys, 76.6 and 85.5 per cent for girls, respectively). For obese girls, 83.4 per cent thought their parents and 91.7 per cent thought their peers perceived them as overweight. The risk of being obese was significantly related to the amount of parental criticism perceived by adolescent girls with OR = 3.9 (95 per cent CI: 1.6-9.4; P = 0.01), while perception of peer criticism showed an increased trend of risk for obesity in boys. Adolescents’ perceptions regarding parental comparisons between their body weights against their siblings’ body weight was found to increase the risk for obesity significantly among girls. Originality/value The current study highlights that most of the obese adolescents perceived that their parents and peers underestimated their actual weight status. While obese boys were more likely to report being criticized about their body shape by their peers, obese girls indicated that they received more criticism about their weight from their parents.


Author(s):  
Aysel Vehapoglu ◽  
Zeynep Ebru Cakın ◽  
Feyza Ustabas Kahraman ◽  
Mustafa Atilla Nursoy ◽  
Ali Toprak

Abstract Objectives It is unclear whether body weight status (underweight/normal weight/overweight/obese) is associated with allergic disease. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between body weight status (body mass index; BMI) and atopic allergic disease in prepubertal children, and to compare children with atopic allergic diseases with non atopic healthy children. Methods A prospective cross sectional study of 707 prepubertal children aged 3–10 years was performed; the participants were 278 atopic children with physician-diagnosed allergic disease (allergic rhinitis and asthma) (serum total IgE level >100 kU/l and eosinophilia >4%, or positivity to at least one allergen in skin test) and 429 non atopic healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Data were collected between December 2019 and November 2020 at the Pediatric General and Pediatric Allergy Outpatient Clinics of Bezmialem Vakıf University Hospital. Results Underweight was observed in 11.6% of all participants (10.8% of atopic children, 12.2% of healthy controls), and obesity in 14.9% of all participants (18.0% of atopic children, 12.8% of controls). Obese (OR 1.71; 95% CI: 1.08–2.71, p=0.021), and overweight status (OR 1.62; 95% CI: 1.06–2.50, p=0.026) were associated with an increased risk of atopic allergic disease compared to normal weight in pre-pubertal children. This association did not differ by gender. There was no relationship between underweight status and atopic allergic disease (OR 1.03; 95% CI: 0.63–1.68, p=0.894). Conclusions Overweight and obesity were associated with an increased risk of atopic allergic disease compared to normal weight among middle-income and high-income pre pubertal children living in Istanbul.


2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052091858
Author(s):  
Anita Raj ◽  
Abhishek Singh ◽  
Jay G. Silverman ◽  
Nandita Bhan ◽  
Kathryn M. Barker ◽  
...  

This study assesses associations between freedom of movement and sexual violence, both in marriage and outside of marriage, among a representative sample of adolescents in India. We analyzed data from girls aged 15 to 19 years ( n = 9,593) taken from India’s nationally representative National Family Health Survey 2015–2016. We defined freedom of movement using three items on whether girls could go unaccompanied to specified locations; we summated responses and categorized them as restricted, or unrestricted. We used multivariable regression to assess associations between restricted movement and nonmarital violence, and with marital sexual violence among ever-married girls. Results show that only 2% of girls reported nonmarital sexual violence, among married and unmarried girls; 6% of married girls reported marital sexual violence. Most girls (78%) reported some restriction in movement. Restricted movement was negatively associated with nonmarital sexual violence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.31, 0.87], p = .01) but positively associated with marital sexual violence (AOR = 3.87, 95% CI = [1.82, 8.25], p < .001). Further analyses highlight that the observed association with nonmarital sexual violence was specific to urban and not rural girls. These findings reveal that approximately one in 30 adolescent girls in India has been a victim of sexual violence. Restricted movement is associated with lower risk for nonmarital sexual violence for urban adolescent girls, possibly due to lower exposure opportunity. Married girls with restricted movement have higher odds of marital sexual violence, possibly because these are both forms of control used by abusive husbands. Freedom of movement is a human right that should not place girls at greater risk for nonmarital violence or be used as a means of control by abusive spouses. Social change is needed to secure girls’ safety in India.


2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Stager ◽  
Raymond Harvey ◽  
Michelle Secic ◽  
Kelly Camlin-Shingler ◽  
Barbara Cromer

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e020410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhifei He ◽  
Ghose Bishwajit ◽  
Sanni Yaya ◽  
Zhaohui Cheng ◽  
Dongsheng Zou ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW), and to investigate the association between maternal body weight measured in terms of body mass index (BMI) and birth weight in selected countries in Africa.SettingUrban and rural household in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda.ParticipantsMothers (n=11 418) aged between 15 and 49 years with a history of childbirth in the last 5 years.ResultsThe prevalence of LBW in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda was, respectively, 13.4%, 10.2%, 12.1%, 15.7% and 10%. Compared with women who are of normal weight, underweight mothers had a higher likelihood of giving birth to LBW babies in all countries except Ghana. However, the association between maternal BMI and birth weight was found to be statistically significant for Senegal only (OR=1.961 (95% CI 1.259 to 3.055)).ConclusionUnderweight mothers in Senegal share a greater risk of having LBW babies compared with their normal-weight counterparts. Programmes targeting to address infant mortality should focus on promoting nutritional status among women of childbearing age. Longitudinal studies are required to better elucidate the causal nature of the relationship between maternal underweight and LBW.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (05) ◽  
pp. 525-533
Author(s):  
Jessica Londeree Saleska ◽  
Kelly Sheppard ◽  
Abigail Norris Turner ◽  
Kelly M. Boone ◽  
Sarah A. Keim

Abstract Objective Childhood obesity is a significant determinant of adult obesity. Among children born preterm, rapid “catch-up growth” in infancy increases the risk of later obesity. Parental perceptions of their child's weight status may compound the child's biologically heightened risk of obesity. Study Design We performed a secondary analysis of data on parental perceptions of child weight status from a randomized controlled trial (2012–2017, n = 331 toddlers born preterm). We used the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) to measure parental child feeding behaviors and beliefs. We calculated the prevalence of incorrect weight estimation, and used t-tests and chi-square tests to compare sample characteristics by correct versus incorrect weight estimation. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for factors associated with parental underestimation of child weight status. Results Most (90%) children were of normal weight, whereas 3% were underweight and 7% were overweight. A majority (75%) of parents correctly estimated their child's weight status. Incorrect weight estimation was only associated with child's actual weight. Parents of overweight children were more likely to underestimate their child's weight status than parents of normal weight children (OR: 2.23, 95% confidence interval: 2.00–2.49). Mean CFQ scores differed by the child's actual weight status but not by the child's estimated weight status. Conclusion Among these toddlers born preterm, significantly higher proportions of parents with underweight and overweight children incorrectly estimated their child's weight status relative to parents of normal weight children. Our findings suggest that weight underestimation could be a problem in this population, although it was not associated with changes in feeding practices.


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