260750 Deaf/Hard-of-hearing and hearing students' plans to lose, maintain, or do nothing about their weight

Monday, October 29, 2012

Lisa M. Lowenstein, PhD, MPH, RD , Department Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Amanda Ohearn, PhD , Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Tamala David, PhD, RN , Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Deborah Ossip, PhD , Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Vincent Samar, PhD , Department of Research and Teacher Education, Rochester Institute of Technology and National Center for Deaf Health Research, Rochester, NY
Background: Research suggests that many overweight and obese college students want to lose weight; however, no data exists for deaf and hard of hearing (D/HOH) college students. Methods: College freshman (D/HOH and hearing) at an upstate New York university completed a cross-sectional survey that captured demographics; self-reported height and weight (to calculate body mass index); and plans to lose, maintain, or do nothing about their weight. Results: Among the D/HOH (n=200) and hearing (n=578) students, 50% and 30% were female, 70% and 81% were non-Hispanic white, 78% and 84% had parents with some college or more. The weight distributions were similar between the D/HOH and hearing groups: normal weight (64%, 64%), overweight (21%, 19%), obese (10%, 10%). Most of the overweight D/HOH and hearing students wanted to lose weight (83%, 67%) and few wanted to do nothing (5%, 2%) or maintain their weight (10%, 9%). Similarly, the majority of the obese D/HOH and hearing students wanted to lose weight (89%, 90%) and few wanted to do nothing (10%, 4%) or maintain their weight (0%, 6%). Among both D/HOH and hearing students, overweight (D/HOH: OR=15.4, 95% CI=5.7, 42.1; hearing: OR=7.2, 95% CI=4.3, 11.9) and obese (D/HOH: OR=35.6, 95% CI=6.5, 194.6; hearing: OR=51.5, 95% CI=17.7, 149.9) students were more likely to report that they wanted to lose weight, controlling for all demographics compared to their normal weight counterparts. Conclusion: Similar to hearings students, overweight and obese D/HOH students want to lose weight. Therefore, weight loss programs suitable for the D/HOH are needed.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Compare the similarities and differences between overweight and obese deaf/hard-of-hearing and hearing students desire to lose, gain, maintain, or do nothing about their weight.

Keywords: College Students, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have conducted research around obesity related topics and currently a fellow working with the University of Rochester Prevention Research Center - National Center for Deaf Health Research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.