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Unhealthy weight control behaviors mediate the association between weight status and weight-specific health-related quality of life in treatment-seeking youth who are obese

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Abstract

Purpose

Examine whether unhealthy and extreme weight control behaviors (WCBs) mediate the relationship between youth weight status and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in treatment-seeking youth who are overweight and obese (OV/OB).

Method

82 youth 10–17 years of age who were OV/OB and attending an outpatient obesity-related medical appointment completed measures assessing unhealthy and extreme WCBs and disease-specific HRQOL. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and medical staff measured youth height and weight.

Results

Regression analyses revealed that unhealthy WCBs mediated the associations between youth weight status and emotional and social avoidance disease-specific HRQOL, such that higher body mass index (BMI) predicted unhealthy WCBs, which were ultimately associated with poorer emotional and social HRQOL. Mediation analyses were not significant for total, physical, teasing/marginalization, and positive attributes disease-specific HRQOL. In addition, extreme WCBs did not mediate the association between youth weight status and any subscales of the disease-specific HRQOL measure.

Discussion

Weight status is an important predictor of disease-specific HRQOL in OV/OB youth; however, the association with emotional and social HRQOL is partially accounted for by youth engagement in unhealthy WCBs. Clinicians and researchers should assess WCBs and further research should explore and evaluate appropriate intervention strategies to address unhealthy WCBs in pediatric weight management prevention and treatment efforts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St., Jackson, MS, 39216-4505, USA

    Crystal S. Lim

  2. Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Avenue South, Medical Towers 102F, Birmingham, AL, 35205, USA

    Marissa A. Gowey

  3. Division of Behavioral Health, Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE, 19803, USA

    Megan J. Cohen

  4. Division of Weight Management, Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE, 19803, USA

    Megan J. Cohen

  5. Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, 1701 SW 16th Ave, Building A, Room 2160, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA

    Janet Silverstein

  6. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100165, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0165, USA

    David M. Janicke

Authors
  1. Crystal S. Lim
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  2. Marissa A. Gowey
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  3. Megan J. Cohen
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  4. Janet Silverstein
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  5. David M. Janicke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Crystal S. Lim.

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Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was conducted in compliance with the American Psychological Association Ethics Code. This study was reviewed and approved by the governing Institutional Review Board.

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All participants gave informed consent/assent prior to participating in the study.

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Lim, C.S., Gowey, M.A., Cohen, M.J. et al. Unhealthy weight control behaviors mediate the association between weight status and weight-specific health-related quality of life in treatment-seeking youth who are obese. Eat Weight Disord 22, 125–132 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0262-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0262-z

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