Objective: To describe the different sex, age and grade distribution of coping behavior and its psychological effects on weight, and to analyze the correlation between overweight, obesity and unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control in adolescents.
Methods: A survey was conducted among students of grade 1 and grade 2 at a junior middle school in Hefei. Students completed the anonymous. questionnaire including the demographic characteristics of adolescents and parents, self-assessed weight status and adolescents' psycho-behaviors related to weight control. Anthropometric measures were taken together with body mass index (BMI) calculated. Students were divided into obesity,overweight and control groups by BMI separate criteria and by self reporting, respectively.
Results: Among all the students, 17.4% reported having unhealthy psychological feelings related to weight control including 3.8% reported having unhealthy behaviors related to weight control and 19.1% of them reported having unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control. The rates of unhealthy psychological feelings, unhealthy behaviors and total unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control among girls (20.6%, 4.3%, 22.6%) were all higher than those among boys (14.5%, 3.3%, 15.8%) (P < 0.05). The rates of unhealthy psychological feelings, unhealthy behaviors and total unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control in obese individuals both assessed by BMI and assessed by self reporting appeared to be the highest (P < 0.05). In addition,data showed that obesity and overweight assessed both by BMI separate criteria and by self-reporting appeared positive correlations with the rates of unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control. Moreover, the relationship between obesity or overweight assessed by the two methods and unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control did not alter by other factors.
Conclusion: Unhealthy psycho-behaviors related to weight control of girls are more severe than boys. The relationship between obesity and unhealthy psychological feelings and behaviors related to weight control does not alter by other factors such as social factors.