The longitudinal relationship between family and peer teasing in young adulthood and later unhealthy weight control behaviors: The mediating role of body image

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between weight teasing, body satisfaction and weight control behaviors. METHODS: Cross-sectional study based on adaptation and validity research of a North American questionnaire for adolescent girls about physical activity, nutrition, body image, perceptions, and behaviors. The variables used to conduct the study were weight control behaviors, body satisfaction and presence of teasing by family members. Descriptive analyses were carried out by chi-square test, being significant p<0.05. RESULTS: A total of 159 adolescent girls, with 16.2±1.3 years old were enrolled in this study. Of the total, 60.1% reported that family members did not tease them. The teasing was associated with weight dissatisfaction (p<0.001), body shape (p=0.006), belly (p=0.001), waist (p=0.001), face (p=0.009), arms (p=0.014) and shoulders (p=0.001). As a consequence, there was association with unhealthy weight control behaviors (p<0.001), vomiting (p=0,011), diet (p=0.002) and use of laxatives (p=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The teasing about body image by family members was associated with risk for unhealthy weight control behaviors in female adolescents.

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Looking Good and Making It Seem Easy

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/2167696817737007 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 327-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lea M. Ventura ◽

Edin T. Randall ◽

Jenna B. Shapiro ◽

Alexandra C. Kirsch ◽

Colleen S. Conley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Transition To Adulthood ◽

Weight Control ◽

Health Concern ◽

Weight Control Behaviors ◽

Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors ◽

Unhealthy Weight Control ◽

Unhealthy Weight ◽

Significant Health

Unhealthy weight control behaviors are a significant health concern among adolescents and emerging adults, and perfectionism plays a role in the development/maintenance of these behaviors. Effortless perfectionism, or pressure to be perfect with apparent ease, is linked to maladjustment, but its role in weight control behaviors is unexplored. Longitudinal data on effortless perfectionism, body image, body mass index (BMI), and weight control behaviors were collected in college-aged females ( N = 376, mean age = 18.48, 66% Caucasian). After controlling for BMI and trait-based perfectionism, effortless perfectionism uniquely predicted weight control behaviors. Higher levels of effortless perfectionism also predicted more weight control behaviors, but only for individuals with poor body image and specifically for those who also reported lower BMI. Pressure to be perfect with apparent ease confers unique risk for unhealthy weight control behaviors among adolescents and emerging adults with low body image and BMI. Findings highlight the importance of developing interventions that target effortless perfectionism to improve health and functioning during the transition to adulthood.

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Self-Perception and Self-Acceptance Are Related to Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors in Catalan Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094976 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4976

Author(s):

Mercè Pollina-Pocallet ◽

Eva Artigues-Barberà ◽

Glòria Tort-Nasarre ◽

Joaquim Sol ◽

Laura Azlor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Weight Control ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Body ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Weight Control Behaviors ◽

Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors ◽

Unhealthy Weight Control ◽

Unhealthy Weight

Adolescence is associated with a higher vulnerability that may result in a high dissatisfaction, the practice of unhealthy weight-control behaviors (UWCB) and, eventually, the onset of body image-related mental disorders. These factors are strongly associated with the social context, so it is important to characterize them in local or regional studies. To assess the relationship between body image and UWCB presence, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2496 schooled adolescents from Lleida (Spain) between 2017 and 2019. Their perceived and desired images were evaluated and compared with the real image in order to obtain the body distortion and the body dissatisfaction and relate them with UWCB. The studied individuals perceived themselves thinner than they actually were, with no differences between males and females. However, differences were found regarding body dissatisfaction, showing that females desired to be thinner, while males desired a more corpulent body image. Furthermore, one out of ten individuals reported UWCB, with higher prevalence among females. UWCB was associated with a desire to be thinner and with distorted body images. It is essential to work on self-perception and self-acceptance in early adolescence from an interdisciplinary perspective at educational, social and health levels to promote health in adolescence.

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