Body weight, weight perceptions and food intake patterns. A cross-sectional study among male recruits in the Norwegian National Guard

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Young men tend to have a low intake of vegetables and fruit. Unfortunately, this group is difficult to reach with health information. Furthermore, knowledge about weight perceptions and the relationship to food behaviour among young men is scant. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between BMI, health and weight perceptions and food intake patterns among young men in the military.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected with a 4-day food diary among 578 male recruits (age 18-26, mean 19.7) in the Norwegian National Guard (response rate 78%), in addition to a questionnaire, including questions about health and weight perceptions, and food frequency when still living at home. Weight and height were objectively measured. Food patterns were explored with principal component analysis, based on the diary data. A multivariate linear regression analysis determined the association between BMI and food patterns, and attitudes to health and slenderness, adjusting for smoking, physical activity and phase of data collection.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty eight percent of the recruits were overweight/obese (BMI > 25 kg/m²). Two-thirds meant that it is important for them to be slender, and these recruits reported more of both light (p = 0.025) and hard (p = 0.016) physical activity than the others. It was a positive association between the recruits' food frequency at home, and the amount of intake in the military camp for several food items. A principal component analysis identified three distinct food patterns, loading on 1) plant foods, 2) fast food/soft drinks, 3) milk/cereals. Those who stated that it is important for them to be slender, or to have good health, did not have significantly different food intake patterns than the others. BMI was inversely related to scores on the plant food pattern, and positive attitudes to slenderness.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of the recruits find it important to be slender. This orientation had a bearing on their physical activity pattern, but less on the food intake pattern. The data also indicate that subjects with high intakes of plant foods were less likely to have a high BMI than others. It is important to raise awareness of healthy eating in young men.</p

Social marketing and healthy eating : Findings from young people in Greece

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12208-013-0112-xGreece has high rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases owing to poor dietary choices. This research provides lessons for social marketing to tackle the severe nutrition-related problems in this country by obtaining insight into the eating behaviour of young adults aged 18–23. Also, the main behavioural theories used to inform the research are critically discussed. The research was conducted in Athens. Nine focus groups with young adults from eight educational institutions were conducted and fifty-nine participants’ views towards eating habits, healthy eating and the factors that affect their food choices were explored. The study found that the participants adopted unhealthier nutritional habits after enrolment. Motivations for healthy eating were good health, appearance and psychological consequences, while barriers included lack of time, fast-food availability and taste, peer pressure, lack of knowledge and lack of family support. Participants reported lack of supportive environments when deciding on food choices. Based on the findings, recommendations about the development of the basic 4Ps of the marketing mix, as well as of a fifth P, for Policy are proposedPeer reviewe

Relationship between perceived body weight and body mass index based on self- reported height and weight among university students: a cross-sectional study in seven European countries

Mikolajczyk RT, Maxwell AE, El Ansari W, Stock C, Petkeviciene J, Guillen-Grima F. Relationship between perceived body weight and body mass index based on self- reported height and weight among university students: a cross-sectional study in seven European countries. BMC Public Health. 2010;10(1): 40.Background Despite low rates of obesity, many university students perceive themselves as overweight, especially women. This is of concern, because inappropriate weight perceptions can lead to unhealthy behaviours including eating disorders. Methods We used the database from the Cross National Student Health Survey (CNSHS), consisting of 5,900 records of university students from Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Spain and Turkey to analyse differences in perceived weight status based on the question: "Do you consider yourself much too thin, a little too thin, just right, a little too fat or much too fat?". The association between perceived weight and body mass index (BMI) calculated from self-reported weight and height was assessed with generalized non-parametric regression in R library gam. Results Although the majority of students reported a normal BMI (72-84% of males, 65-83% of females), only 32% to 68% of students considered their weight "just right". Around 20% of females with BMI of 20 kg/m2 considered themselves "a little too fat" or "too fat", and the percentages increased to 60% for a BMI of 22.5 kg/m2. Male students rarely felt "a little too fat" or "too fat" below BMI of 22.5 kg/m2, but most felt too thin with a BMI of 20 kg/m2. Conclusions Weight ideals are rather uniform across the European countries, with female students being more likely to perceive themselves as "too fat" at a normal BMI, while male students being more likely to perceive themselves as "too thin". Programs to prevent unhealthy behaviours to achieve ill-advised weight ideals may benefit students

Dismorfia muscular Muscle dysmorphia

Preocupações mórbidas com a imagem corporal eram tidas até recentemente como problemas eminentemente femininos. Atualmente estas preocupações também têm sido encontradas no sexo masculino. A dismorfia muscular é um subtipo do transtorno dismórfico corporal que ocorre principalmente em homens que, apesar da grande hipertrofia muscular, consideram-se pequenos e fracos. Além de estar associada a prejuízos sociais, ocupacionais, recreativos e em outras áreas do funcionamento do indivíduo, a dismorfia muscular é também um fator de risco para o abuso de esteróides anabolizantes. Este artigo aborda aspectos epidemiológicos, etiológicos e padrões clínicos da dismorfia muscular, além de tecer comentários sobre estratégias de tratamento para este transtorno.<br>Morbid concern over body image was considered, until recently, a female issue. Nowadays, it has been viewed as a common male disorder. Muscle dysmorphia, a subtype of a body dysmorphic disorder, affects men who, despite having clear muscular hypertroph,y see themselves as frail and small. Besides being associated to major social, leisure and occupational dysfunction, muscle dysmorphia is also a risk factor for the abuse of steroids. This article describes epidemiological, etiological and clinical characteristics of muscle dysmorphia and comments on its treatment strategy

Insatisfação com o peso corporal e fatores associados em adolescentes Body weight dissatisfaction and associated factors among adolescents

OBJETIVO: Estimar a ocorrência de insatisfação com peso corporal e os fatores associados em adolescentes. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, representativo dos escolares de 15 a 19 anos de escolas públicas de Santa Catarina, no ano de 2002. O desfecho do estudo foi a satisfação com o peso corporal, avaliada pela pergunta: "Você está satisfeito(a) com seu peso corporal?". As variáveis avaliadas foram: sexo, idade, renda familiar, local de residência, estado nutricional, tempo semanal assistindo televisão, tabagismo e autopercepção de saúde. Investigaram-se também os seguintes comportamentos alimentares: tomar remédios para emagrecer, provocar vômitos após as refeições e realizar, no mínimo, três refeições/dia. Empregou-se regressão multinomial nas análises bruta e ajustada. RESULTADOS: Dentre os adolescentes avaliados (n=5.028), 16,7% (IC95%: 15,7-17,7) estavam insatisfeitos com seu peso e gostariam de aumentá-lo, e 36,2% (IC95%: 34,9-37,5) gostariam de diminui-lo. Tomar remédios para emagrecer, provocar vômitos após as refeições e não realizar, no mínimo, três refeições/dia foram mais frequentes entre aqueles que gostariam de reduzir o peso. Após análise ajustada, os fatores associados ao desejo de aumentar o peso foram: sexo masculino, idade >17 anos, residir na zona urbana, não ter excesso de peso e autopercepção de saúde negativa. Já os fatores associados ao desejo de diminuir o peso foram: sexo feminino, residir na zona urbana, ter excesso de peso e uma percepção negativa de saúde. CONCLUSÕES: Encontrou-se alta prevalência de insatisfação com o peso, sendo as variáveis sexo, estado nutricional e autopercepção de saúde os fatores mais fortemente associados a tal comportamento.<br>OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction among adolescents and the associated factors. METHODS: Population-based cross-sectional study covering a sample of students with ages from 15 to 19 years, attending public high schools in Santa Catarina, Brazil, in the year 2002. The outcome of the study was body weight satisfaction, assessed by the question: "Are you satisfied with your body weight?" The variables analyzed were gender, age, family income, home neighborhood, nutritional status, time of television viewing per week, smoking and self-rated health. Some feeding behaviors were also investigated: taking weight loss medication, vomiting after meals, and having at least three meals per day. A multinomial regression model was used in the crude and adjusted analyses. RESULTS: Among the adolescents evaluated (n=5,028), 16.7% (95%CI: 15.7-17.7) were unsatisfied and would like to gain weight, and 36.2% (95%CI: 34.9-37.5) would like to reduce it. Frequent behaviors among those who wanted to reduce their body weight included: taking weight loss medication, vomiting after meals, and not having at least three meals per day. Adjusted analyses showed that factors associated with the desire to gain weight were: male gender, >17 years old, living in the urban area, without overweight, and having a negative self-perception of health. Factors associated with the desire to lose weight included: female gender, living in the urban area, with overweight, and having a negative self-perception of health. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction was found in this sample, and the factors more associated with this behavior included gender, nutritional status and self-perception of health