Beliefs about obesity and their relationship with dietary restriction and body image perception / Creencias sobre las causas de la obesidad y su relación con la restricción alimentaria y la percepción de la imagen corpora

The reviewed literature provides evidence that beliefs about the causes of obesity may actually have an influence on eating habits. In this work we wanted to analyze the relationship that may exists between beliefs about obesity, dietary restraint and body image perception. For that purpose, 258 female and male students of a High School and Occupational Training School in Seville (Spain) were recruited to conduct the study. According to our results, it was found that beliefs about obesity were positively related with dietary restraint and body image perception. Additionally, it was found that people high in beliefs about the controllability of the weight scored more in dietary restraint and body image perception than participants that did not believe that obesity was under personal control. No differences were found in Body Mass Index. Finally, it is suggested, according to the results that we found, that in order to be effective, public health campaigns may need to target people’s beliefs just as much as they target their behaviours

La literatura revisada pone de manifiesto que las creencias sobre las causas de la obesidad tienen una influencia sobre el comportamiento alimentario. En este trabajo queríamos analizar la relación que puede existir entre creencias sobre la obesidad, la restricción alimentaria y la percepción de la imagen corporal. Con ese objetivo, 258 estudiantes, tanto hombres como mujeres, de un Instituto y centro de Formación Profesional de Sevilla (España) fueron reclutados para hacer el estudio. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos, se ha encontrado que las creencias sobre la obesidad estaban positivamente relacionadas con la restricción alimentaria y la percepción de la imagen corporal. Adicionalmente, se halló que la gente alta en creencias sobre la obesidad puntuaba más en restricción alimentaria y percepción de la imagen corporal que aquellos participantes que no creían que la obesidad estuviera bajo control personal. No se encontraron diferencias para el Índice de Masa Corporal. Finalmente se sugiere, en función de los resultados obtenidos, que para incrementar la efectividad de las campañas de salud sería necesario intervenir no solo sobre los comportamientos sino también sobre las creencias

Perceived vulnerability to disease and antifat attitudes in a sample of children and teenagers.

PURPOSE: Perceived vulnerability to disease (beliefs about personal susceptibility to contracting an infectious disease) is usually related to the expression of prejudice towards different stigmatized groups. In this study, the relationship between this variable and the expression of the prejudice towards obese people was analyzed. METHOD: The sample comprised a total of 137 children and teenagers, aged between 12 and 17 years, from a Spanish high school who fulfilled several scales which measure perceived vulnerability to disease, antifat attitudes and perceived controllability of weight. Additionally, body mass index (BMI) was calculated by means of the participants' height and weight. RESULTS: Perceived infectability (one of the factors of the perceived vulnerability to disease scale) was negatively related to controllability of weight, and germ aversion (the second factor of the vulnerability scale), showed a positive relationship with the antipathy towards obese people. Finally, perceived controllability of weight was positively correlated with BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The implications of these results in the field of the study of the prejudice toward obese people are discussed. To our knowledge, no other studies have investigated the relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease and antifat attitudes in minors. Additionally, this is the first time that the measured BMI has been used instead of the self-reported one.

Autopercepción del estado ponderal y la forma física y su relación con el nivel de actividad física realizado, conductas alimentarias y bienestar psicosocial / Weight misperception and physical fitness perception in relation to the physical activity level, dietary ehaviour and psychosocial well-being

Introducción: La mayoría de los estudios sobre la autopercepción del peso corporal se han llevado a cabo en EE.UU. donde se ha comunicado que 20-40% de las personas con sobrepeso u obesidad subestiman su peso. La percepción de la forma física es una variable poco estudiada pero que se ha sugerido como relevante en la adopción de conductas saludables. Objetivos: Analizar la autopercepción del peso corporal y la forma física en adolescentes valorando la relación entre dichas variables y conductas de control de peso corporal (dieta y actividad física), así como analizar la relación entre la autopercepción del peso corporal y el bienestar psicosocial. Métodos: Un total de 655 alumnos participaron voluntariamente en el estudio durante el que cumplimentaron una serie de cuestionarios además de recogerse peso y talla de dichos participantes.. Resultados: Un 41.35% de los jóvenes autopercibieron erróneamente su peso y su forma física. La mayoría de participantes que se encontraban en sobrepeso u obesidad no realizaban dieta para tratar de disminuir su peso corporal. Aquellos jóvenes que consideraban su peso como elevado presentaron peor estado psico-emocional. Discusión: El trabajo es novedoso en España, sigue la metodología llevada a cabo en los estudios del mismo tipo a nivel internacional y los resultados son similares a los obtenidos en otras poblaciones. Conclusiones: La autopercepción del peso corporal y la forma física influyen en la adopción de conductas de control del peso corporal, como realización de dieta, y en un menor bienestar psicosocial de los jóvenes (AU)

Introduction: Most of the studies on weight misperception have been carried out in the US where it has been estimated that 20-40% of overweight or obese people underestimate their weight status. The perception of the physical fitness is a little studied variable but suggested as relevant in the adoption of healthy behaviours. Objectives: The aims were to analyze weight misperception and physical fitness perception in adolescents, evaluating the relationship between weight misperception and physical fitness perception and body weight management behaviours (diet and exercise) as well as to analyze the relationship between weight misperception and psychosocial well-being. Methods: A total of 655 students participated voluntarily in the study during which they completed a series of questionnaires. Weight and height of all participants were collected. Results: Many young people misperceived their weight and its physical fitness. The majority of participants who were overweight or obese did not go on diet to manage their body weight. Those who overestimated their weight had the worst psycho-emotional state. Discussion: The work is novel in Spain, it follows the methodology carried out in international studies on the same topic and the results are similar to those obtained in other populations. Conclusion: Weight misperception and physical fitness perception influence the adoption of healthy body weight management behaviors and is related to psychosocial well- being of young people (AU)

Psychometric properties of Spanish version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (Tfeq-Sp) and its relationship with some eating- and body image-related variables.

The aims of this study were to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-SP), as well as determine its validity by evaluating the relationship of the TFEQ-SP with different parameters related to body mass index, weight perception, perception of physical fitness, self-esteem, and food intake, as well as with weight control-related variables. A total of 281 participants (aged 18.38 ± 6.31) were studied. The factor analysis yielded three factors: cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). The internal consistency of the TFEQ-SP was determined by means of Cronbach's α coefficient, with values ranging between 0.75 and 0.87. Higher scores on CR were found in women (p < 0.5), overweight/obese participants (p < 0.001), participants with lower self-esteem (p < 0.05), participants who overestimated their weight (p < 0.001), participants who weighed themselves frequently (p < 0.001) and those who were about to go on a diet (p < 0.001). Higher EE scores were found in participants with lower self-esteem scores (p < 0.05), among participants with a poorer perception of their physical fitness (p < 0.01) and when participants were about to diet (p < 0.05). Higher scores on UE were observed in case of poorer perception of physical fitness (p < 0.05). The validation study of the TFEQ-SP meets the requirements for measuring the three different facets of eating behavior: CR, UE, and EE.

[Weight misperception and physical fitness perception in relation to the physical activity level, dietary behaviour and psychosocial well-being]. / Autopercepción del estado ponderal y la forma física y su relación con el nivel de actividad física realizado, conductas alimentarias y bienestar psicosocial.

INTRODUCTION: Most of the studies on weight misperception have been carried out in the US where it has been estimated that 20-40% of overweight or obese people underestimate their weight status. The perception of the physical fitness is a little studied variable but suggested as relevant in the adoption of healthy behaviours. OBJECTIVES: The aims were to analyze weight misperception and physical fitness perception in adolescents, evaluating the relationship between weight misperception and physical fitness perception and body weight management behaviours (diet and exercise) as well as to analyze the relationship between weight misperception and psychosocial well-being. METHODS: A total of 655 students participated voluntarily in the study during which they completed a series of questionnaires. Weight and height of all participants were collected. RESULTS: Many young people misperceived their weight and its physical fitness. The majority of participants who were overweight or obese did not go on diet to manage their body weight. Those who overestimated their weight had the worst psycho-emotional state. DISCUSSION: The work is novel in Spain, it follows the methodology carried out in international studies on the same topic and the results are similar to those obtained in other populations. CONCLUSION: Weight misperception and physical fitness perception influence the adoption of healthy body weight management behaviors and is related to psychosocial well- being of young people.

Introducción: La mayoría de los estudios sobre la autopercepción del peso corporal se han llevado a cabo en EE.UU. donde se ha comunicado que 20-40% de las personas con sobrepeso u obesidad subestiman su peso. La percepción de la forma física es una variable poco estudiada pero que se ha sugerido como relevante en la adopción de conductas saludables. Objetivos: Analizar la autopercepción del peso corporal y la forma física en adolescentes valorando la relación entre dichas variables y conductas de control de peso corporal (dieta y actividad física), así como analizar la relación entre la autopercepción del peso corporal y el bienestar psicosocial. Métodos: Un total de 655 alumnos participaron voluntariamente en el estudio durante el que cumplimentaron una serie de cuestionarios además de recogerse peso y talla de dichos participantes.. Resultados: Un 41.35% de los jóvenes autopercibieron erróneamente su peso y su forma física. La mayoría de participantes que se encontraban en sobrepeso u obesidad no realizaban dieta para tratar de disminuir su peso corporal. Aquellos jóvenes que consideraban su peso como elevado presentaron peor estado psico-emocional. Discusión: El trabajo es novedoso en España, sigue la metodología llevada a cabo en los estudios del mismo tipo a nivel internacional y los resultados son similares a los obtenidos en otras poblaciones. Conclusiones: La autopercepción del peso corporal y la forma física influyen en la adopción de conductas de control del peso corporal, como realización de dieta, y en un menor bienestar psicosocial de los jóvenes.

Weight misperception, self-reported physical fitness, dieting and some psychological variables as risk factors for eating disorders.

The aims of the current study were to explore possible gender differences in weight misperception, self-reported physical fitness, and dieting, and to analyze the relationship between these variables and others, such as self-esteem, body appreciation, general mental health, and eating- and body image-related variables among adolescents. In addition, the specific risk for eating disorders was examined, as well as the possible clusters with respect to the risk status. The sample comprised 655 students, 313 females and 342 males, aged 16.22 ± 4.58. Different scales of perceived overweight, self-reported physical fitness and dieting together with the Body Mass Index (BMI) were considered along with instruments such as the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) and Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2). Since some gender differences were found with respect to these adolescent groups, it is necessary to design prevention programs that not only focus on traditional factors such as BMI or body image, but also on elements like weight perception, self-reported fitness and nutritional education.