ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Pediatrica 2019 June;71(3):235-41

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4946.16.04410-8

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Association of adolescents’ weight status with life satisfaction: role of self, peers, family and school perception; the CASPIAN-IV Study

Hoda ZAHEDI ^{1, 2}, Roya KELISHADI ³, Ramin HESHMAT ¹, Shirin HASANI RANJBAR ^{4, 5}, Mohammad ESMAEIL MOTLAGH ⁶, Gelayol ARDALAN ³, Tahereh AREFIRAD ⁷, Rasool MOHAMMADI ⁸, Hamid ASAYESH ⁹, Mostafa QORBANI ¹⁰ ✉

¹ Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ² Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ³ Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran; ⁴ Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular-Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ⁵ Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; ⁷ Department of Exercise Physiology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; ⁸ Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ⁹ Department of Medical Emergencies, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran; ¹⁰ Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Science, Karaj, Iran

BACKGROUND: Although many public health programs have focused on prevention and control of obesity, their efficacy mostly depends on personal factors including perception of weight and personal understanding of the concept of being overweight. This study aims to investigate the association of adolescent’s weight status with life satisfaction and explore the role of self, peers, family and school perception in this association.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the fourth school-based survey entitled “Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Non-communicable Disease” (CASPIAN) Study. This survey was conducted among 14,880 urban and rural students aged 6-18 years. Two sets of valid and reliable questionnaire obtained from Global School Health Survey (GSHS) were completed by students and their parents. The students’ questionnaire had several questions including life satisfaction and the perception of weight, peers, family and school.
RESULTS: The study had a participation rate of 90.6% including 50.8% boys and 76% urban residents. Significant differences existed in Body Mass Index (BMI) and in perception of weight among girls and boys. Moreover, the prevalence of depression and being bullied were higher among girls and boys, respectively. Significant association was documented between life satisfaction and all variables including perception of weight, peers, family and school; the only exception was for BMI (P<0.05). In addition, students with normal weight had significantly higher life satisfaction in comparison with their obese counterparts (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The present study documented significant association between life satisfaction and perception of self, peer, family and school with the exception of BMI in both genders.

KEY WORDS: Weight perception; Schools; Family; Personal satisfaction