The Association between BMI and Body Weight Perception among Children in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
Background: There is a complex relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body weight perception. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between BMI and body weight perception among middle-aged children.
Methods: This study was cross-sectional, and conducted among 333 children (9-11 yr) from the largest public school in Istanbul, Turkey between Oct 2019 and Jan 2020. BMI was calculated as weight divided by height squared (kg/m2). Body weight perception was determined using a photograph figure rating scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.0.
Results: Overall, 325 children (mean age 10.01 ± 0.99 yr) completed the study. According to the BMI classification, 8.6% of children were severely underweight, 4.9% underweight, 68.0% normal weight, 8.3% overweight, and 10.2% obese. However, 38.8% of the children perceived themselves as overweight, 21.2% as underweight, 20.3% as normal, 10.3% as overweight, and 9.4% as obese. 59.1% of children underestimated their current body weight. On the other hand, 14.2% of children overestimated their current body weight. There were statistical differences between body weight perception and BMI (P<0.001).
Conclusion: There was a discrepancy between body weight perception and BMI among middle-aged children. More than half of the children tend to underestimate their actual body weight. Therefore, evaluating the nutritional status of children and learning which body type children perceive can guide the preparation of individual nutrition programs.
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35. Ambrosi-Randi N (2000). Perception of current and ideal body size in preschool age children. Percept Mot Skills, 90 (3): 885–9.
2. Lobstein T, Jackson-Leach R, Moodie ML, et al. (2015). Child and adolescent obesity: part of a bigger picture. The Lancet, 385 (9986): 2510-20.
3. Lakshman R, Elks CE, Ong KK (2012). Childhood obesity. Circulation, 126 (14): 1770-9.
4. Hruby A, Manson JE, Qi L, et al. (2015). Determinants and consequences of obesity. Am J Public Health, 106 (9): 1656–62.
5. Wu Y, Berry DC (2018). Impact of weight stigma on physiological and psychological health outcomes for overweight and obese adults: a systematic review. J Adv Nurs, 74 (5): 1030–42.
6. Rajan TM, Menon V (2017). Psychiatric disorders and obesity: a review of association studies. J Postgrad Med, 63 (3): 182-90.
7. Friedman KE, Reichmann SK, Costanzo PR, Musante GJ (2002). Body image partially mediates the relationship between obesity and psychological distress. Obes Res, 10 (1): 33-41.
8. Xie B, Chou CP, Spruijt-Metz D, et al. (2011). Longitudinal analysis of weight perception and psychological factors in Chinese adolescents. Am J Health Behav, 35 (1): 92–104.
9. Tremblay L, Limbos M (2009). Body image disturbance and psychopathology in children: research evidence and implications for prevention and treatment. Curr Psychiatry Rev, 5 (1): 62–72.
10. Cheung PCH, Ip PLS, Lam ST, Bibby H (2007). A study on body weight perception and weight control behaviours among adolescents in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Med J, 13 (1): 16-21.
11. Bhurtun DD, Jeewon R (2013). Body weight perception and weight control practices among teenagers. Int Sch Res Not, 2013: 395125.
12. Wang Y, Liu H, Wu F, et al. (2018). The association between BMI and body weight perception among children and adolescents in Jilin City, China. PLoS One, 13 (3): e0194237.
13. Cattelino E, Bina M, Skanjeti AM, Calandri E (2015). Anthropometric characteristics of primary school‐aged children: accuracy of perception and differences by gender, age and BMI. Child Care Health Dev, 41 (6): 1098–105.
14. Veldhuis J, Te Poel F, Pepping R, Konijn EA, Spekman MLC (2017). Skinny is prettier and normal: I want to be normal’-Perceived body image of non-Western ethnic minority children in the Netherlands. Body Image, 20: 74–86.
15. Paul TK, Sciacca RR, Bier M, Rodriguez J, Song S, Giardina EGV (2015). Size misperception among overweight and obese families. J Gen Intern Med, 30 (1): 43-50.
16. Davison KK, Birch LL (2002). Obesigenic families: parents’ physical activity and dietary intake patterns predict girls’ risk of overweight. Int J Obes, 26 (9): 1186–93.
17. Liechty JM (2010). Body image distortion and three types of weight loss behaviors among nonoverweight girls in the United States. J Adolesc Heal, 47 (2): 176-82.
18. Ricciardelli LA, McCabe MP (2001). Children’s body image concerns and eating disturbance: A review of the literature. Clin Psychol Rev, 21 (3): 325–44.
19. Berger U, Schilke C, Strauss B (2005). Weight concerns and dieting among 8 to 12-year-old children. Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol, 55 (7): 331–8.
20. Brener ND, Eaton DK, Lowry R, McManus T (2004). The association between weight perception and BMI among high school students. Obes Res, 12 (11): 1866–74.
21. Gualdi‐Russo E, Albertini A, Argnani L, Celenza F, Nicolucci M, Toselli S (2008). Weight status and body image perception in Italian children. J Hum Nutr Diet, 21 (1): 39–45.
22. Sands ER, Wardle J (2003). Internalization of ideal body shapes in 9–12‐year‐old girls. Int J Eat Disord, 33 (2): 193–204.
23. Deschamps V, Salanave B, Chan‐Chee C, Vernay M, Castetbon K (2015). Body‐weight perception and related preoccupations in a large national sample of adolescents. Pediatr Obes, 10 (1): 15–22.
24. Steinsbekk S, Klöckner CA, Fildes A, Kristoffersen P, Rognsås SL, Wichstrøm L (2017). Body size estimation from early to middle childhood: stability of underestimation, BMI, and gender effects. Front Psychol, 8: 2038.
25. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021). Child Development. USA. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle2.html.
26. WHO (2007). Growth reference data for 5-19 years. Geneva, Switzerland. https://www.who.int/tools/growth-reference-data-for-5to19-years/indicators/bmi-for-age.
27. Truby H, Paxton SJ (2002). Development of the children’s body image scale. Br J Clin Psychol, 41 (2): 185–203.
28. Schmidt R, Vogel M, Hiemisch A, Kiess W, Hilbert A (2018). Pathological and non-pathological variants of restrictive eating behaviors in middle childhood: A latent class analysis. Appetite, 127: 257–65.
29. Calzo JP, Sonneville KR, Haines J, Blood EA, Field AE, Austin SB (2012). The development of associations among body mass index, body dissatisfaction, and weight and shape concern in adolescent boys and girls. J Adolesc Heal, 51 (5): 517–23.
30. Gardner RM, Friedman BN, Jackson NA (1999). Body size estimations, body dissatisfaction, and ideal size preferences in children six through thirteen. J Youth Adolesc, 28 (5): 603–18.
31. Hagman J, Gardner RM, Brown DL, Gralla J, Fier JM, Frank GKW (2015). Body size overestimation and its association with body mass index, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness in anorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord Anorexia Bulim Obes, 20 (4): 449–55.
32. WHO (2018). WHO contributes to new plans to tackle childhood obesity in Turkey. Geneva, Switzerland. https://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/turkey/news/news/2018/3/who-contributes-to-new-plans-to-tackle-childhood-obesity-in-turkey.
33. Gray WN, Crawford MJ, Follansbee-Junger K, Dumont-Driscoll MC, Janicke DM (2012). Associations between actual and perceived weight and psychosocial functioning in children: the importance of child perceptions. Child Obes (Formerly Obes Weight Manag), 8 (2): 147–54.
34. Armstrong B, Westen SC, Janicke DM (2014). The role of overweight perception and depressive symptoms in child and adolescent unhealthy weight control behaviors: a mediation model. J Pediatr Psychol, 39 (3): 340–8.
35. Ambrosi-Randi N (2000). Perception of current and ideal body size in preschool age children. Percept Mot Skills, 90 (3): 885–9.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 52 No 11 (2023) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i11.14037 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Body weight perception Body size Children BMI | ||
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
Pulat Demir H, Bayram HM. The Association between BMI and Body Weight Perception among Children in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Study. Iran J Public Health. 2023;52(11):2372-2379.
