Weight management and concern, body weight beliefs, and perceptions of friend's and family's weight concerns were examined in this study by race, grade, and gender. A stratified random sample was used to select schools within nine districts in South Carolina and an anonymous self-report paper-pencil questionnaire was completed by the students. The final sample included 3151 African American (42.3%) and White (57.7%) children (51.7% female) in the third (n=599), fifth (n=686), 1168 eighth (n=1168), and eleventh (n=698) grades. White girls were more likely to report being overweight (p=.0042), having higher personal weight concerns (p < .0001), and perceiving higher friend (p < .0001) and family weight concerns (p < .0001) than the African American girls. Using multiple regression, 29.8% of the variance in the children's personal weight concern scores was explained by: perceptions of family's weight concerns (Rē=.1659), gender (Rē=.0762), perceptions of friend's weight concerns (Rē=.0392), grade (Rē=.0094), a race by gender interaction (Rē=.0042) and race (Rē=.003). These results support the need for nutrition interventions and education in early childhood.
Learning Objectives: After completion of this session, the participant will be able to: · Identify the major health risks involved when one is underweight. · Explain reasons for the increase in dieting behaviors among children, particularly females. · Discuss gender and racial differences in weight management practices and body weight beliefs among children, adolescents, and teens. · Analyze sociocultural factors which are believed to influence attitudes toward ideal size by African American and White children. · Evaluate the role of family systems in the initiation of weight concern among children.
Keywords: Child/Adolescent, Obesity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.