Weight perception and weight loss efforts among boys in New York City public high schools

Introduction

Overweight among youth is associated with diabetes and psychosocial problems. We examined weight, intention to lose weight, and weight loss activities among high school boys to determine the role of accurate weight perception in weight loss efforts.

Methods

Data were drawn from the 2007 NYC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial cross-sectional survey of approximately 9,000 public high school students. Categories were very (VO) (>=95th percentile BMI), slightly (SO) (95th>BMI>=85th) or not overweight (NO) (85th>BMI). Bivariate and multivariate analyses examined associations among BMI category, perceived weight category, weight loss activities, and demographics.

Results

Analyses show that 14% of boys in NYC are VO, with Hispanics having a higher prevalence than whites or Asians (17% vs. 11% and 8%, p<.01). More than half (59%) of SO and 84% of VO boys underestimate their weight category. Among all overweight, 67% report a current attempt to lose weight; attempts are more likely among VO than SO (OR 6.2, p<.01) and those with accurate weight perception (OR 7.0, p<.01), and less likely among black boys than Hispanics (OR 0.5, p<.05). Those with accurate weight perception are more likely to state eating less in the past month but are no more likely to exercise regularly (45% vs. 47%).

Conclusion

Findings suggest that overweight is a common health problem for public high school boys. Efforts to increase boys' awareness of their weight category, and promote regular exercise, are needed. Specific outreach to black and SO boys may be useful.