Korean J Health Promot.  2015 Sep;15(3):129-135. 10.15384/kjhp.2015.15.3.129.

Association between Actual or Perceptional Weight Status and Mental Health Issues in Adolescents in Korea

• Kim HS
• Jang JH
• Lee KM
• Jung SP
• Keum SH

• KMID: 2247207
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15384/kjhp.2015.15.3.129

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Mental health issues in adolescents have recently emerged as a social concern. Previous studies reported that there was a relationship between body image perception and mental health. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlations between actual or perceptional weight status and mental health issues in adolescents in Korea.
METHODS
Data was based on the 5th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data (2010-2012). The subjects were 1989 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Depending on the actual or perceptional weight status, participants were divided into several groups. Mental health indicators included experiencing stress, depressed mood and suicidal ideation.
RESULTS
The multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted controlling for age, abdominal obesity, smoking and alcohol use, potency of exercises, and household income. Although this study did not find a correlation between actual weight status and mental health variables, it did find that girls who perceived themselves as overweight were more likely to experience stress (odds ratio, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.41-3.56) and depressed mood (odds ratio, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.01-3.62).
CONCLUSIONS
Adolescent females in Korea who perceived themselves as overweight experienced significantly more stress and depressed mood.

Keyword

Adolescent; Mental health; Weight perception

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Body Image
Exercise
Family Characteristics
Female
Humans
Korea*
Logistic Models
Mental Health*
Nutrition Surveys
Obesity, Abdominal
Overweight
Smoke
Smoking
Suicidal Ideation
Weight Perception
Smoke

Figure

• 

  Figure 1. This graph illustrates the association between the self-perceptional weight status and mental health problem. Values are presented as percentage. P-value was calculated by chi-square test (P=0.049).

Reference

1.Bae JY., Lee ES., Lee JH., Yoon YS., Yang YJ., Kwak HJ, et al. Association of lifestyle with mental health in adolescents. Korean J Fam Pract. 2014. 4(2):149–56.

2.Ahn DH. Mental disorders in adolescents. J Korean Med Assoc. 2009. 52(8):745–57.

3.Korean NeuroPsychiatric Association. NeuroPsychiatry. 2nd ed.Seoul: Joongangmoonhwasa;2005. p. 543–95.

4.Cho SC., Kim JW. Psychiatric disorders in adolescence. J Korean Med Assoc. 2008. 51(2):176–86.

5.Kim JY., Son SJ., Lee JE., Kim JH., Jung IK. The effects of body image satisfaction on obesity stress, weight control attitudes, and eating disorders among female junior high school students. Fam Environ Res. 2009. 47(4):49–59.

6.Shin JA., Bae SP., Kim HS., Park HS. Psychosocial factors and familial environments in adolescent obesity. Korean J Fam Pract. 2002. 23(8):1024–32.

7.Schwimmer JB., Burwinkle TM., Varni JW. Health-related quality of life of severely obese children and adolescents. JAMA. 2003. 289(14):1813–9.

8.Friedlander SL., Larkin EK., Rosen CL., Palermo TM., Redline S. Decreased quality of life associated with obesity in school-aged children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003. 157(12):1206–11.

9.Ahn KM., Hong KH. The association between menarche experience and mental health in middle school girls. JKAIS. 2013. 14(11):5737–44.

10.Byeon HW. The relationship between BMI, weight perception and depression-like symptoms in Korean middle school students. JKAIS. 2013. 14(12):6317–23.

11.Hwang IC., Lee KS., Park DK, et al. Association with Self-Perception for Obesity and Mental Health among Korean Adolescent. J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2011. 22(2):112–9.

12.Lee CH., Lee KY., Park TJ., Park DJ., Lee HJ., Jung YH, et al. The Relationships between Metabolic Syndrome with Liver Function Test, Pulmonary Function Test, White Blood Cell Count, and Ferritin: The Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010. Korean J Fam Pract. 2014. 4(1):49–55.

13.Chu MA., Choe BH. Obesity and metabolic syndrome among children and adolescents in Korea. J Korean Med Assoc. 2010. 53(2):142–52.

14.Seo JW. Obesity in children and adolescents. Korean J Pediatr. 2009. 52(12):1311–20.

15.Moon JS., Lee SY., Nam CM, et al. 2007 Korean National Growth Charts: review of developmental process and an outlook. Korean J Pediatr. 2008. 51(1):1–25.

16.Lee JU., Yi KH. Prevalence and trends of metabolic syndrome in Korean children and adolescents according to the 2001 and 2005 Korean National Healthand Nutrition Examination Surveys. Korean J Health Promot. 2009. 9(1):25–32.

17.Kim YH., Nam GE., Cho KH, et al. Low bone mineral density is associated with dyslipidemia in South Korean men: The 2008-2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Endocr J. 2013. 60(10):1179–89.

18.Oh JY., Yang YJ., Kim BS., Kang JH. Validity and reliability of Korean version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form. J Korean Acad Fam Med. 2007. 28(7):532–41.

19.Atlantis E., Ball K. Association between weight perception and psychological distress. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008. 32(4):715–21.

20.Korean Psychosomatic Society. Psychosomatic medicine. 1st ed.Seoul: Jipmoondang;2012. p. 176–219.

21.Nam SJ., Park JH. Adolescents' satisfaction of body and self-esteem according to obesity and subjective perception of body: verification of moderating effect of sex. Korean J Obes. 2013. 22(4):251–3.

22.Davis C., Katzman MA. Chinese men and women in the United States and Hong Kong: body and self-esteem ratings as a prelude to dieting and exercise. Int J Eat Disord. 1998. 23(1):99–102.