Abstract

Background

Overweight and obesity as well as weight dissatisfaction

have been increasing in prevalence worldwide. Body weight

dissatisfaction and fear of fatness are potential contributors to disordered

eating. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence

of self-reported overweight and weight dissatisfaction along with

associations with socio-demographic characteristics, body image,

health complaints, risk behaviours, physical activity and television

viewing in adolescents in Palestine.

The 2003/04 Palestinian Health Behaviour in School-aged

Children (HBSC) is a cross-sectional survey of 17 817 adolescents

from 405 randomly selected schools. Students from a representative

sample of grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 (aged 12–18 years) self-completed a

modified version of the international World Health Organization

collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC-2002)

questionnaire.

Although 16.5% of the adolescents were overweight, almost

twice that number (32.1%) were dissatisfied with their weight (i.e.

dieting or perceiving a need to diet). Of those adolescents, two-thirds

were not actually overweight (56.4% boys; 73.5% girls). One-fifth of

the total number of adolescents (16.0% boys; 24.0% girls) were not

overweight but were dissatisfied with their weight. Boys reporting

overweight or weight dissatisfaction were more likely to have mothers

with higher education or to be from more affluent families. Among

both genders, but especially among girls, weight dissatisfaction was

positively associated with most of the outcome variables (body image,

health complaints, risk behaviours, and television viewing) regardless

of weight status, whereas weight status was associated with only a few

of the outcome variables.

Conclusions

Weight dissatisfaction, independent of weight status,

is associated with body image, health complaints, risk behaviours and

television viewing, and represents a potential health risk factor for

adolescents. Preventive interventions should focus not only on weight

status, but also on body weight dissatisfaction.