Body mass index, self-esteem and weight contentment from adolescence to young adulthood and women’s risk for sexually transmitted disease

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Merten ◽  
Amanda L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Adolescence And Young Adulthood

Background Women’s risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were examined in terms of adolescent and young adult weight status, self-esteem trajectories and weight contentment using two waves of a nationally representative dataset. Methods: Using Waves 1 and 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, body mass index (BMI), self-esteem and weight contentment were examined during adolescence and young adulthood to assess the likelihood of STDs among 4000 young adult single women. Results: Change in BMI, specifically weight loss between adolescence and young adulthood, significantly increased women’s risk for STDs. Continuously low self-esteem during adolescence and young adulthood significantly increased women’s risk for STDs. When women’s contentment with their weight decreased from adolescence to young adulthood, women’s risk for STDs was greater. Regardless of other variables, Black women were more likely to have an STD. Conclusions: Results suggest that women’s self-perception is important in reducing sexual risk; specifically, patterns of self-esteem, BMI and weight contentment across developmental periods should be a critical focus of research and practice related to adolescent and young adult sexual health. There are many known benefits to fostering self-esteem during adolescence and findings from this study add STD prevention among young women to this list. Results emphasise the needed prevention during adolescence to address self-perspective and self-esteem for the long-term sexual well-being of young women.

scholarly journals Stable Genes and Changing Environments: Body Mass Index Across Adolescence and Young Adulthood

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett C. Haberstick ◽  
Jeffery M. Lessem ◽  
Matthew B. McQueen ◽  
Jason D. Boardman ◽  
Christian J. Hopfer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Changing Environments ◽  
Adolescence And Young Adulthood

scholarly journals Grand-maternal lifestyle during pregnancy and body mass index in adolescence and young adulthood: an intergenerational cohort study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Ding ◽  
Susanne Strohmaier ◽  
Eva Schernhammer ◽  
Changzheng Yuan ◽  
Qi Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Adolescence And Young Adulthood

scholarly journals Physical Activity Levels for Girls and Young Adult Women versus Boys and Young Adult Men in Spain: A Gender Gap Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6265
Author(s):  
Xian Mayo ◽  
Antonio Luque-Casado ◽  
Alfonso Jimenez ◽  
Fernando del Villar
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Adolescents And Young Adults ◽  
Adult Men ◽  
Adolescence And Young Adulthood ◽  
Age Range

Despite that the health benefits of physical activity (PA) are clear, during the last years, a noticeable plateau or slight increase in physical inactivity levels in Spanish adolescents and young adults has been reported. In addition, there seems to be a progressive reduction of the total PA performed with age in both adolescent and young women as well as adult men. We aimed to analyze these changes with age in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in a sample of Spanish adolescents and young adults within the age range of 15–24 years old (n = 7827), considering the gender and using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. For that, we implemented a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) considering both the gender and the age group surveyed. Generally, our findings showed a reduction in the daily MVPA performed from adolescence to young adulthood in Spaniards. Within these reductions, girls reduce their PA levels at a different age and pace in adolescence and young adulthood in comparison to boys. Though girls were less active than boys in the 15–18 year age range, these differences were no longer significant at older ages. Our results point out the necessity of implementing different policy approaches based on gender (i.e., for girls and young women), since reductions in the MVPA performed occur at particular ages and paces in comparison to boys and young men. This difference indicates that the traditional approach during adolescence and young adulthood is inadequate for tackling physical inactivity without considering the population’s gender.

scholarly journals Lifestyle, body mass index and wellness in youth: Strengthens and weakness in Italian youth

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Di Giacomo ◽  
Jessica Ranieri ◽  
Fabiana Fiasca ◽  
Antonella Mattei
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Body Perception

This study investigated the psychological wellbeing and body perception among young Italian people. Drinking, eating, and sexual behaviors have been examined in relation to body mass index (BMI) and psychological well-being by EPOCH framework. This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted on Italian adolescent and young adult population through an online survey. Qualitative and quantitative data on lifestyle, BMI classes, and psychological characteristics of wellness in youth were obtained from a sample of 1221 Italian participants using a self-report questionnaire on body perception and habits, a socio-demographics inventory, and the EPOCH measure. Findings suggest that being underweight or overweight is associated with various factors, including gender, self-control regarding food, perception of one’s body, and the happiness domain. EPOCH framework revealed the psychological wellness of girls and young women did not seem strongly affected by BMI, though Perseverance and Happiness seemed reduced with increasing BMI. The Engagement, Optimism, and Connectedness domains were not significantly affected by the BMI variable. On the contrary, Perseverance and Happiness seemed reduced with increasing BMI and were related to physical shape. Our study offers a new perspective: promoting the development of positive psychological characteristics since adolescence to boost quality of life by improving wellness, by EPOCH approach could be functional reinforcing specific psychological aspects in young generations regarding future wellness, improving the positive perception and management of their own health.

Associations of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in Young Adulthood with Later Life Incident Diabetes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandini Nair ◽  
Eric Vittinghoff ◽  
Mark J Pletcher ◽  
Elizabeth C Oelsner ◽  
Norrina B Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Waist Circumference ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Fasting Glucose ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Incident Diabetes

Abstract Context The independent contribution of young adult exposure to overweight and obesity to later life incident diabetes is not well studied. Objective To assess the associations of exposures to elevated body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in young adulthood (ages 18 to 39 years) with incident diabetes later in life (≥40 years). Design Pooled data from six US prospective cohorts (ARIC, CARDIA, CHS, Framingham Offspring, Health ABC, MESA). Setting Population-based cohort studies. Participants 30,780 participants (56.1% female, 69.8% non-Hispanic White) without a diagnosis of diabetes by age 40. Interventions We imputed BMI and WC trajectories from age 18 for every participant and estimated time-weighted average exposures to BMI or WC during young adulthood and later life. Main Outcome Measure(s) Incident diabetes defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, non-fasting glucose ≥200 mg/dL, or use of diabetes medications. Results During a 9-year median follow-up, 4,323 participants developed incident diabetes. Young adult BMI and WC were associated with later life incident diabetes after controlling for later life exposures (hazard ratios [HR] 1.99 for BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 and 2.13 for WC >88cm [women]/>102cm [men] compared to normal ranges). Young adult homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) mediated 49% and 44% of the association between BMI and WC with later life incident diabetes. HDL and triglycerides mediated a smaller proportion of these associations. Conclusions Elevated BMI and WC during young adulthood were independently associated with later life incident diabetes. Insulin resistance appears to be a key mediator.

scholarly journals What is the “weight” of body mass index on sexual functioning in women? A mediation model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Di Nardo ◽  
Chiara Conti ◽  
Giulia Di Francesco ◽  
Giulia Nicolardi ◽  
Maria Teresa Guagnano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sexual Life

Abstract Purpose It is well known that body mass index (BMI) affects how individuals perceive their well-being and that obese individuals tend to report poorer levels of subjective health status. The aim of this study was to compare subjects with and without FSD and to examine the direct and indirect impact of BMI on female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in overweight/obese and normal-weight women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 186 overweight/obese and 233 normal-weight women. FSD assessed with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was investigated in relation to body satisfaction assessed with the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT-A) and self-esteem assessed with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE). Results No difference in the prevalence of FSD was found between overweight/obese (44.4%) and normal-weight women (55.6%), even though significant between-group differences in body image were found. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) showed that BMI contribute to FSD only through the mediating role of body dissatisfaction and self-esteem. Conclusions The present results support the notion that sexual functioning is not related directly to BMI in women but to a more complex interactions of body weight, satisfaction with one’s own body image, and levels of self-esteem. Clinicians should take into account that for women having a good sexual life seems not related to body weight but to the way their body weight is perceived within the context of self-image. Level of evidence Level III, case–control analytic study.

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