 |
|
Body image is stronger predictor of health than obesity, says Mailman School of PH study
February 13, 2008In a study to examine the impact of desired body weight on the number of unhealthy days subjects report over one month, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that the desire to weigh less was a more accurate predictor of physically and mentally unhealthy days, than body mass index (BMI). In addition, the desire to lose weight was more predictive of unhealthy days among Whites than among African-Americans or Hispanics, and among women than among men. The paper, I Think Therefore I Am: Perceived Ideal Weight as a Determinant of Health, will be published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
After controlling for actual BMI and age, the researchers found that men who wished to lose 1 percent, 10 percent, and 20 percent of their body weight, respectively, reported 0.1, 0.9 and 2.7 more unhealthy days per month than those who were happy with their weight. Among women, the corresponding increase in numbers of reported unhealthy days was 0.1, 1.6 and 4.3. Persons who were happy with their weight experienced fewer physically unhealthy days (3.0 vs 3.7) and mentally unhealthy days (2.6 vs 3.6) compared with persons unhappy with their weight.
"Our data suggest that some of the obesity epidemic may be partially attributable to social constructs that surround ideal body types," said Peter Muennig, MD, MPH, Mailman School of Public Health assistant professor of Health Policy and Management. "Younger persons, Whites, and women are disproportionately affected by negative body image concerns, and these groups unduly suffer from BMI-associated morbidity and mortality."
Approximately 66% of the more than 150,000 U.S. adults studied wanted to lose weight, and about 26% were satisfied with their current weight. With respect to BMI, 41% of normal weight people, 20% of overweight people, and 5% of obese people were happy with their weight. Older persons were also more likely to feel positively about their weight than were younger persons. However, in all models, perceived difference was a stronger predictor than was BMI of mentally and physically unhealthy days.
The researchers emphasize that there is a large body of evidence suggesting that social stress adversely affects mental health as well as physical health. "Our findings confirmed that there was a positive relationship between a person's actual weight and his or her desired weight and health, be it physical or mental," observed Dr. Muennig.
Obesity is one of the greatest public health threats. Over 7 million quality-adjusted life years are lost annually as a result of excess body weight in the United States alone. There is evidence that discrimination against heavy people is pervasive, occurring in social settings, the workplace, and the home. These processes are likely internalized, leading to a negative body image that also may serve as a source of chronic stress.
"The data add support to our hypothesis that the psychological stress that accompanies a negative body image explains some of the morbidity commonly associated with being obese. Our finding that the desire to lose weight was a much stronger predictor of unhealthy days than was BMI further suggests that perceived difference plays a greater role in generating disease," said Dr. Muennig.
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Approximately 66% of the more than 150,000 U.S. adults studied wanted to lose weight, and about 26% were satisfied with their current weight. With respect to BMI, 41% of normal weight people, 20% of overweight people, and 5% of obese people were happy with their weight. Older persons were also more likely to feel positively about their weight than were younger persons. However, in all models, perceived difference was a stronger predictor than was BMI of mentally and physically unhealthy days.
The researchers emphasize that there is a large body of evidence suggesting that social stress adversely affects mental health as well as physical health. "Our findings confirmed that there was a positive relationship between a person's actual weight and his or her desired weight and health, be it physical or mental," observed Dr. Muennig.
Obesity is one of the greatest public health threats. Over 7 million quality-adjusted life years are lost annually as a result of excess body weight in the United States alone. There is evidence that discrimination against heavy people is pervasive, occurring in social settings, the workplace, and the home. These processes are likely internalized, leading to a negative body image that also may serve as a source of chronic stress.
"The data add support to our hypothesis that the psychological stress that accompanies a negative body image explains some of the morbidity commonly associated with being obese. Our finding that the desire to lose weight was a much stronger predictor of unhealthy days than was BMI further suggests that perceived difference plays a greater role in generating disease," said Dr. Muennig.
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Obesity Current Events and Obesity News RSSNewly identified cells make fat
To understand where fat comes from, you have to start with a skinny mouse. By using such a creature, and observing the growth of fat after injections of different kinds of immature cells, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University have discovered an important fat precursor cell that may in time explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity.
Corner stores capture kids on morning commute
In most cities, the corner store, with its chips, soda and candy, is ubiquitous. Convenient for the neighborhood residents, but also researchers are discovering, a major snack source for school age children.
How much are you really exercising?
People struggling with obesity often underestimate how many calories they are actually consuming, which can hinder weight loss efforts. It should follow that the same person would overestimate the amount of exercise they're doing, right?
Duke researchers show reading can help obese kids lose weight
It's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers at Duke Children's Hospital discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.
Mental barriers hamper obese women's efforts to get exercise
For arachnophobes, it's difficult to kill a spider as it scurries across the floor. Those who are scared to fly might not ever set foot on a plane. While nothing physically stops people with these aversions, a mental barrier can keep them from the task at hand.
A little exercise goes a long way for severely obese
A little exercise goes a long way toward helping severely obese individuals improve their quality of life and complete important daily tasks, according to researchers at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.
H. Pylori bacteria may help prevent some esophageal cancers
Some bacteria may help protect against the development of a type of esophageal cancer, known as adenocarcinoma, according to a new review of the medical literature. These bacteria, which are called Helicobacter pylori, live in the stomachs of humans.
Metabolic syndrome ups colorectal cancer risk
In a large U.S. population-based study presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome.
Making metabolism more inefficient can reduce obesity
In a discovery that counters prevailing thought, a study in mice has found that inactivating a pair of key genes involved in "fat-burning" can actually increase energy expenditure and help lower diet-induced obesity. These unusual findings, appearing this week in the JBC, might lead to some new roads in weight-loss therapy.
Genes influence effectiveness of weight-loss drug
Obese patients with a specific genetic make-up lose more weight when taking the weight loss drug sibutramine and undergoing behavioral therapy compared to those without this genetic make-up, reports a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
More Obesity Current Events and Obesity News Articles
 | Exodus from Obesity: The Guide to Long-Term Success After Weight Loss Surgery by Paula F. Peck In Exodus From Obesity, Paula F. Peck provides the information, encouragement and guidelines for maintaining long-term success after weight loss surgery. Ms. Peck interweaves intelligent discussion with humorous stories about herself and individuals that have faced diet after diet and ultimately chose the gastric bypass procedure. This book is a clear, easy-to-read guide for patients, potential... |
 | Obesity Epidemiology During the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. An estimated thirty percent of adults in the US are obese; in 1980, only fifteen percent were. The issue is gaining greater attention with the CDC and with the public health world in general. This book will offer practical information about the methodology of epidemiologic studies of obesity,... |
 | The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health by Paul Campos “Campos makes his case against the “fat kills” dogma with unimpeachable evidence. The Obesity Myth should be required reading for every health professional in America. I believe any open-minded person who reads this book will conclude that we’ve been duped by a pack of self-serving lies. And we cannot get at the truth without first recognizing those lies. The Obesity Myth is a great place... |
 | Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Obesity: A Clinician's Guide by Zafra Cooper, Christopher G. Fairburn, Deborah M. Hawker The first cognitive-behavioral treatment manual for obesity, this volume presents an innovative therapeutic model currently being evaluated in controlled research at Oxford University. From leading clinical researchers, the approach is specifically designed to overcome a major weakness of existing therapies: posttreatment weight regain. The book details powerful ways to help patients not only to... |
 | The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality and Ideology by Michael Gard The Obesity Epidemic adds a much-needed voice of skepticism to the increasingly alarmist debate about weight and health. Gard and Wright show that "obesity" is above all a deeply problematic cultural and political concept, making clear that the social meaning of fat is determined largely by moral and ideological agendas -- agendas that are all the more powerful because they cloak themselves in... |
| Handbook of Obesity Treatment The contemporary successor to the editors' earlier Obesity: Theory and Therapy, this comprehensive handbook guides mental health, medical, and allied health professionals through the process of planning and delivering individualized treatment services for those seeking help for obesity. Concise, extensively referenced chapters present foundational knowledge and review the full range of widely... | |
 | A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery: Everything You Need to Know About Weight Loss Surgery and How to Succeed by Bryan G. Woodward, MPH, LCEP A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery is a well-organized, comprehensive tool kit addressing the many issues that surround the surgical treatment of obesity. Readers are provided with an unprecedented accurate step-by-step guide to obesity surgery with accompanying professional illustrations and... |
 | Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook This unique handbook presents and integrates virtually all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative, accessible, and eminently practical volume. From leading international authorities, 112 concise chapters encapsulate the latest information on all pertinent topics, from biological, psychological, and social processes associated with risk, to clinical methods... |
 | Obesity Cancer &Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure by F. Batmanghelidj This book, the result of over 20 years of research, looks at the conditions of obesity, cancer and depression through a new physiological perspective and offers a new approach in preventing and treating these... |
 | Overcoming Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: A Guide for School Leaders by Donald Schumacher, J. Allen Queen "Makes a distinct contribution to the field with the timeliness of the subject matter, the severity and demands of the issue addressed, and the need for more resources addressing this subject."-Stephanie Slowik, School Counselor, West Lake Elementary School, Apex, NC "Demonstrates the challenges that principals face today."-James Gostomski, Physical Education Teacher, Verde Elementary School,... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |