Desirable body size associated factors in Trinidadian adolescents

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine body size considered desirable by adolescents in Trinidad and to identify factors associated with it. DESIGN AND METHODS: A random sample of 1,139 adolescents, aged 14-17 years and attending secondary schools in Trinidad were selected for the study. Silhouettes of different body sizes were used to determine what was considered desirable body size. Weights and heights were measured to determine actual body size. RESULTS: 1,090 (96 percent) students participated, 512 males and 578 females. The calculated BMI indicated that 15 percent were underweight, 73 percent were normal and 13 percent were overweight. There was a significant gender difference in desirable body size (p<0.001). The majority of females (83 percent) wanted to be normal while 13 percent wanted to be underweight. In contrast, 66 percent of males wanted to be normal and 31 percent overweight. In males, sports personalities (55 percent) and movie stars (31 percent) were most important in influencing desirable body size while movie stars (44 percent) and fashion models (43 percent) were most important for females. There was no association between actual and desirable body size in females but the association was significant in males (p=0.004). More overweight males chose the overweight figure (45 percent) compared with normal (31 percent) or underweight (23 percent) males. Although 41 percent of adolescents said that they would like to remain the same size, more females (37 percent) than males (20 percent) said that they wanted to lose weight while more males (38 percent) than females (3 percent) wanted to gain weight (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: It is important that appropriate intervention be implemented to address this desire by adolescent males to be overweight.(Au)