Overweight Perception: Associations with Weight Control Goals, Attempts, and Practices among Chinese Female College Students
Document Type
Article
Department
Community and Global Health (CGU)
Publication Date
2016
Disciplines
Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Public Health
Abstract
Background
Concurrent with the dramatic cultural and economic shifts occurring as mainland China becomes increasingly “Westernized,” the weight perceptions, ideal body weight, and weight management goals and practices of Chinese females have also undergone significant changes.
Objective
To investigate relationships between overweight status, weight perception patterns, and weight management goals and practices in Chinese female college students.
Design/participants/setting
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with data from 902 female subjects aged 18 to 25 years participating in the China Seven Cities Study, a health promotion and smoking prevention study conducted in mainland China in 2003.
Main outcome measures/statistical analyses
Logistic regression models were used to explore associations between overweight status, weight perception, specific weight management goals and practices, and current levels of vigorous-intensity physical activity and food consumption.
Results
Based on World Health Organization standards for Asian adults, 16.7% of college females were overweight or obese, although 50.8% considered themselves to be “too heavy.” Among participants perceiving themselves as overweight (n=458), 69.2% (n=371) were inaccurate and did not meet criteria for overweight or obese. The percentage of participants attempting weight loss was 48.2%, and 33.1% wanted to maintain their current weight. Attempts to lose or maintain weight were related to actual and perceived weight status, but not to increased vigorous-intensity physical activity or fruit and vegetable intake, nor to decreased consumption of sweets, soda, Western fast foods, and fried foods. Only 21.5% of participants desiring weight loss or maintenance reported using a combination of vigorous-intensity physical activity and a reduced-fat and -calorie diet, whereas 20.2% tried extreme methods such as fasting, using diet pills, vomiting, or smoking.
Conclusions
Our findings underscore the need to promote healthy weight management practices among Chinese female college students, with an emphasis on diet and physical activity strategies that encourage balance rather than extremes.
Rights Information
© 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Terms of Use & License Information
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.06.383
Recommended Citation
Tanenbaum HC, Felicitas JQ, Li Y, Tobias M, Chou C-P, Palmer PH, Spruijt-Metz D, Reynolds KD, Johnson CA, Xie B. Overweight perception: associations with weight control goals, attempts and practices among Chinese female college students. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(3):458-66. 2016 doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2015.06.383.
