TY - JOUR
T1 - Body weight dissatisfaction and communication with parents among adolescents in 24 countries
T2 - International cross-sectional survey
AU - Al Sabbah, Haleama
AU - Vereecken, Carine A.
AU - Elgar, Frank J.
AU - Nansel, Tonja
AU - Aasvee, Katrin
AU - Abdeen, Ziad
AU - Ojala, Kristiina
AU - Ahluwalia, Namanjeet
AU - Maes, Lea
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the Belgium Technical Cooperation (BTC) for sponsoring the first author doctorate study. Carine Vereecken is post-doctoral researcher funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO – Flanders). The international coordinator of 2001/2002 Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey was Candace Currie, University of Edinburgh, Scotland; the data bank manager was Oddrun Samdal, University of Bergen, Norway. A complete list of the participating researchers can be found on the HBSC-website: http://www.hbsc.org/.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Background. Parents have significant influence on behaviors and perceptions surrounding eating, body image and weight in adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction, difficulty in communication with the parents and the relationship between communication with parents and adolescents' dissatisfaction with their body weight (dieting or perceived need to diet). Methods. Survey data were collected from adolescents in 24 countries and regions in Europe, Canada, and the USA who participated in the cross-sectional 2001/2002 Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) study. The association between communication with parents and body weight dissatisfaction was examined using binary logistic regression analysis. Results. Body weight dissatisfaction was highly prevalent and more common among girls than boys, among overweight than non-overweight, and among older adolescents than younger adolescents. Difficulty in talking to father was more common than difficulty in talking to mother in all countries and it was greater among girls than among boys and increased with age. Difficulties in talking to father were associated with weight dissatisfaction among both boys and girls in most countries. Difficulties in talking to mother were rarely associated with body weight dissatisfaction among boys while among girls this association was found in most countries. Conclusion. The findings suggest that enhanced parent communication might contribute in most countries to less body dissatisfaction in girls and better communication with the father can help avoiding body weight dissatisfaction in boys. Professionals working with adolescents and their families should help adolescents to have a healthy weight and positive body image and promote effective parent - adolescent communication.
AB - Background. Parents have significant influence on behaviors and perceptions surrounding eating, body image and weight in adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction, difficulty in communication with the parents and the relationship between communication with parents and adolescents' dissatisfaction with their body weight (dieting or perceived need to diet). Methods. Survey data were collected from adolescents in 24 countries and regions in Europe, Canada, and the USA who participated in the cross-sectional 2001/2002 Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) study. The association between communication with parents and body weight dissatisfaction was examined using binary logistic regression analysis. Results. Body weight dissatisfaction was highly prevalent and more common among girls than boys, among overweight than non-overweight, and among older adolescents than younger adolescents. Difficulty in talking to father was more common than difficulty in talking to mother in all countries and it was greater among girls than among boys and increased with age. Difficulties in talking to father were associated with weight dissatisfaction among both boys and girls in most countries. Difficulties in talking to mother were rarely associated with body weight dissatisfaction among boys while among girls this association was found in most countries. Conclusion. The findings suggest that enhanced parent communication might contribute in most countries to less body dissatisfaction in girls and better communication with the father can help avoiding body weight dissatisfaction in boys. Professionals working with adolescents and their families should help adolescents to have a healthy weight and positive body image and promote effective parent - adolescent communication.
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U2 - 10.1186/1471-2458-9-52
DO - 10.1186/1471-2458-9-52
M3 - Article
C2 - 19200369
AN - SCOPUS:60849095800
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 9
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
M1 - 52
ER -