Table 1 Reported body weight perception and weight control practices among urban, low-income African American students, by measured BMI and gender
| All | Boys | Girls | Gender difference, P value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All participants | (n = 448) | (n = 196) | (n = 252) | |
| Self-evaluation of body weight | ||||
| Underweight | 12.3 | 15.4 | 9.8 | 0.002 |
| Normal weight | 60.5 | 65.5 | 56.7 | |
| Overweight | 27.2 | 19.1 | 33.5 | |
| Feel bad about one's body weight | ||||
| True | 24.2 | 15.9 | 30.6 | 0.001 |
| Not true | 66.4 | 73.9 | 60.7 | |
| Cannot say | 9.4 | 10.2 | 8.7 | |
| What are trying to do about your body weight? | ||||
| Gain weight | 16.3 | 19.1 | 14.1 | 0.524 |
| Lose weight | 43.4 | 40.7 | 45.5 | |
| Stay the same | 30.3 | 30.4 | 30.2 | |
| Nothing | 10.0 | 9.8 | 10.2 | |
| Participants with BMI < 85 th percentile | (n = 172) | (n = 84) | (n = 88) | |
| Self-evaluation of body weight | ||||
| Underweight | 19.0 | 22.9 | 16.0 | 0.350 |
| Normal weight | 73.1 | 70.3 | 75.3 | |
| Overweight | 7.9 | 6.8 | 8.7 | |
| Feel bad about one's body weight | ||||
| True | 14.7 | 12.1 | 16.9 | 0.337 |
| Not true | 73.8 | 76.8 | 71.3 | |
| Cannot say | 11.5 | 11.1 | 11.8 | |
| What are trying to do about your body weight? | ||||
| Gain weight | 25.0 | 27.4 | 23.2 | 0.470 |
| Lose weight | 20.9 | 23.9 | 18.5 | |
| Stay the same | 39.2 | 35.9 | 41.7 | |
| Nothing | 14.9 | 12.8 | 16.6 | |
| All | Boys | Girls | Gender difference, P value* | |
| Participants with BMI ≥ 85 th percentile | ||||
| Self-evaluation of body weight | (n = 178) | (n = 77) | (n = 101) | |
| Underweight | 1.7 | 2.7 | 1.0 | < 0.001 |
| Normal weight | 41.9 | 58.7 | 29.8 | |
| Overweight | 56.4 | 38.6 | 69.2 | |
| Feel bad about one's body weight | ||||
| True | 37.7 | 19.7 | 50.5 | < 0.001 |
| Not true | 56.0 | 71.2 | 45.2 | |
| Cannot say | 6.3 | 9.1 | 4.3 | |
| What are trying to do about your body weight? | ||||
| Gain weight | 2.8 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 0.014 |
| Lose weight | 77.1 | 66.7 | 84.6 | |
| Stay the same | 17.3 | 22.7 | 13.4 | |
| Nothing | 2.8 | 5.3 | 1.0 | |
|
Participants with BMI ≥ 95
th
percentile
(n = 35) | (n = 98) | (n = 63) | ||
| Self-evaluation of body weight | ||||
| Underweight | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.270 |
| Normal weight | 22.7 | 32.3 | 18.2 | |
| Overweight | 76.3 | 67.7 | 80.3 | |
| Feel bad about one's body weight | ||||
| True | 51.7 | 25.9 | 62.9 | 0.009 |
| Not true | 42.7 | 63.0 | 33.9 | |
| Cannot say | 5.6 | 11.1 | 3.2 | |
| What are you trying to do about your body weight? | ||||
| Gain weight | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.297 |
| Lose weight | 90.7 | 87.1 | 92.4 | |
| Stay the same | 8.3 | 9.7 | 7.6 | |
| Nothing | 1.0 | 3.2 | 0.0 |