Almost 25 per cent of women obese misperceive weight

PharmaLive.com (23 November 2010) – a surprising number of women of normal weight, overweight and age of childbearing incorrectly perceive their body weight, affecting their behavior based on the weight and do much susceptible to cardiovascular disease and other related to obesity, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston.

In the issue of December, obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers report that almost 25 per cent of obesity and 16% of women age breeding weight normal misperceive corporel.Il weight is the first study to examine focused on the behaviour of women of childbearing age weight associated with the perception of the weight.

Overweight and obésitées Hispanic women and African-Americans are much more likely than to underestimate their weight, ranking as usual white women. The researchers also found that obese women perceive as a normal weight are significantly less likely to report weight of behaviors, such as dieting.

"We discovered reflected the"magnified"America," says corresponding author d Mahbubur Rahman, Professor Deputy Department of obstetrics and Gynecology and the Centre for interdisciplinary research in women's health."As obesity numbers climb, many women identify overweight as usual, not based on the scale, but on how they perceive.".

Perception of body mass is the degree of alignment between perceived weight and mesurées.Les National Institutes of Health defines overweight as Bodymass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 - an index as calculated by dividing the weight of the individual by the square of height (kg/m2) normal .Poids is defined as having a BMI of 18, 5-24, 9 kg / m2.

More than half of the breeding females in the United States are considered obese or according to the BMI, with minority women at risk most élevé.Actuellement, 82 percent of women and 75% of the Mexican-American women meet the criteria to be overweight or obese.

Perception of the weight and related behaviors

The study analyzed more than 2,200 women aged 18 to 25 years, based on survey questions pertaining to variables sociodemographic, height, weight, weight perceptions and behaviour based on weight.Women with a BMI less than 25 were regarded as a normal weight and those with a BMI of 25 or more were regarded as overweight.Overall, 52% of the participants in the study were considered obese or.

To aid calculated BMI and responses of the participants perceived weight issues, the researchers divided women in four categories: "overweight misperceivers"obese women describe as sub - or normal; weight"" overload accurate weight perceivers "obese women who describe as overweight." weight normal misperceivers "women of normal weight that describe as surpoids.et"normal weight perceivers, "says women of normal weight describe as normal or failure."

Evaluated weight included, diet pills powder or liquid, laxatives or diuretics; behaviours induce vomiting.jump to diet repas.un / eating less or différemment.fumer plus.et cigarettes do not consume carbohydrates.Respondents were also on the number of days in the last week that they have exercised at least 30 minutes continuously.

Significantly more Hispanic and African-American - 25 and 30 per cent, respectively - were obese misperceivers compared with white women, 15% have been included in this catégorie.Cependant significantly more white women and Hispanic were weight normal misperceivers - approximately 16% and 20% respectively.

Misperceivers one overweight were significantly more low probability to conduct focused on healthy weight or pas.Poids normal misperceivers were more than twice as likely to diet, skipping meals and smoke more; the respective odds ratio were almost four and five times higher than the use of diet pills, powder, fluids and diuretics.

These results were particularly concerning, as the lowest probability of overweight misperceivers practice of healthy weight loss behaviors has a negative impact on the prevention of obesity and the probability higher than normal weight misperceivers conduct practical unhealthy weight loss can cause medical and psychological consequences.

Weight perception: the first step for the scaling of the prevention of obesity

"Misperception of weight is a threat to the success of obesity prevention programs, says author main Dr. Abbey Berenson, Professor, Department of obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Centre for interdisciplinary research in women's health." ""Obese individuals who do not recognize that they are overweight are far less likely to eat healthily and exercer.Ces patients are at risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other serious problems.»

The researchers recommend that clinicians calculate BMI of patients the during each visit, for their vital signs, systematically screenshot misperceptions of body weight and you learn about unhealthy behaviours weight so that they can advise patients appropriately.

"This is particularly important for older women of child-bearing because they are more likely to be obese than men of even older, often because they have had at least one child and did not lose pregnancy weight and find their working hours make it difficult to exercise and eating" adds Berenson.

Editor's note: this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Source of the story:

The story above is reproduced (with drafting adaptations by staff at PharmaLive.com) materials provided by University of Texas at Galveston medical via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Reference of the review:

Rahman, Mahbubur.Berenson, Abbaye de b. perception of weight and its association with the mass breeding young women age-related behaviours. obstetrics & gynaecology, 116 (6): 1274-1280, December 2010 DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181fdfc47

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited for this.

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