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- Title
Are adolescent weight-related problems and general well-being essentially an issue of age, gender or rather a pubertal timing issue?
- Authors
Fonseca, Helena; Matos, Margarida G.
- Abstract
Objective: To compare the characteristics of a set of weightrelated and well-being variables among adolescents according to gender and age. It was hypothesised that time of puberty, not age in itself, might be the turning point for gender dissimilarities. Methods: Data were drawn from the Portuguese 2006 HBSC/ WHO database and were disaggregated by gender and age group. Groups were compared for dieting, body image, health perception and happiness variables on the bivariate level using cross-tabulations. Separate analysis of the dependent variables was further conducted for 11-year-olds comparing males with pre- and post-menarche females. Results: Dieting and a negative body image were consistently more prevalent among girls and increased with age. At 11 years significantly more post-menarche girls were dieting and dissatisfied with their body image than boys and their pre-menarche counterparts. A poor self-rated health and the perception of unhappiness tended to be more common among older adolescents and among girls. Conclusions: Pubertal timing, and not age in itself, appears as the turning point for gender dissimilarities. Both genderand age-specific differences as well as pubertal timing have to be taken into account by any physician when assessing an adolescent in order to be able to adapt the intervention.
- Subjects
BODY weight; ADOLESCENT psychology; PUBERTY; AGE groups; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2011, Vol 24, Issue 5/6, p251
- ISSN
0334-018X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/JPEM.2011.027