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Attempts to Lose Weight Among US Children: Importance of Weight Perceptions from Self, Parents, and Health Professionals
Author(s) -
Ling Jiying,
Stommel Manfred,
Choi Seung Hee
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22106
Subject(s) - overweight , odds , medicine , logistic regression , ethnic group , perception , odds ratio , psychological intervention , obesity , health professionals , gerontology , demography , developmental psychology , psychology , health care , psychiatry , pathology , neuroscience , sociology , anthropology , economics , economic growth
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate how perceptions of weight by children themselves, parents, and health professionals influence children's persistent attempts to lose weight. Methods The sample included 4,914 children aged 8 to 15 years from the 2005 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (representing 20.7 million children). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results About 34.2% never made an effort to lose weight, whereas 28.2% made persistent attempts to lose weight. Children's persistent attempts to lose weight were highly related to their own BMI percentile. Children's self‐perceptions of overweight increased the odds of persistent attempts to lose weight more than sevenfold. Health professionals’ perceptions that children were overweight increased the odds of persistent attempts to lose weight almost threefold. However, parents’ perceptions of children as overweight had a relatively small though significant influence on children's attempts to lose weight. Conclusions As perceptions of children's weight status play big roles in children's attempts to lose weight, interventions focusing on increasing accuracy of perceptions may help promote healthy weight loss efforts. Although parents are key agents in controlling their children's weight gain, especially among minority school‐aged children, the study findings also emphasize the greater importance of health professionals on children's attempts to lose weight across different racial/ethnic groups.