Superwoman's kryptonite: The superwoman schema and perceived barriers to weight management among U.S. Black women.

The role that the superwoman schema (SWS) plays in U.S. Black women's perceptions of barriers (biological, psychological, and sociological) to healthy weight management is unknown. This exploratory study examined whether 122 women classified as normal weight, overweight or obese differed in their perceptions of types of barriers and if the SWS predicted perceived barriers to weight management. Women classified as obese reported more barriers than those classified as normal weight. The SWS uniquely positively predicted perceived psychological and sociological barriers. Our findings suggest that the SWS may play a vital role in the self-management of weight in U.S. Black women.

Perceived Physician-informed Weight Status Predicts Accurate Weight Self-Perception and Weight Self-Regulation in Low-income, African American Women.

BACKGROUND: Obese African American women under-appraise their body mass index (BMI) classification and report fewer weight loss attempts than women who accurately appraise their weight status. This cross-sectional study examined whether physician-informed weight status could predict weight self-perception and weight self-regulation strategies in obese women. METHODS: A convenience sample of 118 low-income women completed a survey assessing demographic characteristics, comorbidities, weight self-perception, and weight self-regulation strategies. BMI was calculated during nurse triage. Binary logistic regression models were performed to test hypotheses. RESULTS: The odds of obese accurate appraisers having been informed about their weight status were six times greater than those of under-appraisers. The odds of those using an "approach" self-regulation strategy having been physician-informed were four times greater compared with those using an "avoidance" strategy. DISCUSSION: Physicians are uniquely positioned to influence accurate weight self-perception and adaptive weight self-regulation strategies in underserved women, reducing their risk for obesity-related morbidity.

Overweight in school-aged children associated with emotional and behavioral difficulties: results from a national sample.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is an association between perceived pediatric overweight and emotional/behavioral difficulties among children ages 4 to 17 years in the United States. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study SETTING: Interview of an adult knowledgeable about a child's emotional and physical health. All statistical analyses were completed using SPSS 17.0. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 7096 noninstitutionalized children aged 4 to 17 years identified in the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. OUTCOME MEASURES: Included in the 2007 National Health Interview Survey were 7096 noninstitutionalized children aged 4 to 17 years. After controlling for age, gender, race, poverty status, education of mother, family structure, and health status, this study found that 7.4% of the children appeared to be overweight and 5.2% had emotional/behavioral difficulties. It also found that caregivers who indicated that their child had a problem with being overweight were more likely to report that the child experienced emotional/behavioral difficulties compared to caregivers who did not report perceived overweight in their child. Characteristics of the children most frequently reported to be overweight included Hispanic race, older children (ages 15-17 years), and those with higher poverty rates and poorer health status. CONCLUSION: The continual increase in pediatric overweight and associated emotional/behavioral difficulties suggests a need for replicable interventions that teach child caregivers to recognize and prevent overweight among vulnerable populations.

Do African American mothers accurately estimate their daughters' weight category?

OBJECTIVES: We attempted to determine if mothers of overweight daughters accurately perceived the daughters' weight category and whether physician diagnosis of overweight was associated with accurate maternal perception of a daughter's weight. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study that used the Morehouse School of Medicine Obesity Health Belief Survey. Descriptive statistics were used with categorical variables; chi2 was used to identify associations between dichotomous and categorical data. SETTING: Participants were enrolled in the study at the West End Medical Centers Inc., a federally qualified health center in Atlanta, Georgia. RESULTS: Among overweight girls, 19% of mothers underestimated the girls' weight category, and 60% of the mothers underestimated the magnitude of their daughters' weight category (P < .001). Among the mothers of girls at risk for overweight, there was a statistically significant association between being told their daughter was overweight by a physician and an accurate perception of the daughter's weight category by the mother CONCLUSION: Despite this national epidemic, not all of mothers of overweight girls identify them as overweight. Physicians may play an important role in helping mothers recognize overweight in their daughter. Ultimately, accurately perceiving their daughters' weight category may influence maternal readiness to change to reduce overweight and reduce the health burden of overweight.