Inability to control hunger in adolescents with obesity linked to body insecurity
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Key takeaways:
- Adolescents with obesity were more unhappy with their body if they said uncontrolled hunger was a barrier to weight loss.
- Teens who were unable to control hunger engaged in more weight-loss attempts.
Adolescents with obesity whose inability to control their hunger is a barrier to weight loss have a more negative perception about their body than adolescents who say inability to control hunger is not a barrier, according to a speaker.
In findings from a subanalysis of the ACTION Teens study presented at the European Congress of Obesity, researchers analyzed survey responses from adolescents with obesity aged 12 to 17 years. In the study, adolescents who reported that their inability to control their hunger was a barrier to weight loss had a higher prevalence of negative attitudes toward their weight, with 56% saying their weight made them unhappy and 48% reporting body insecurity.
“This suggests an association between the perception that an inability to control hunger is a barrier to weight loss and adolescents’ awareness of their obesity status; adolescent dissatisfaction with their body; and adolescent engagement in weight management behaviors,” Bassam Bin-Abbas, MD, professor of pediatrics and endocrinology in the college of medicine at Al-Faisal University and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Saudi Arabia, told Healio.
Researchers analyzed data from 5,275 adolescents with a BMI in the 95th percentile or higher for age and sex who responded to a cross-sectional online survey as part of the ACTION Teens study, which included participants from 10 countries. Participants self-reported whether their inability to control hunger was a barrier toward weight loss. Those who stated it was a barrier were placed in a hunger barrier group, with the remaining adolescents placed in a non-barrier group. Adolescents answered questions about eating habits, body image and attitudes toward weight, their level of worry about their weight, weight-loss attempts and the methods they used for managing their weight.
Inability to control hunger linked to unhappiness, body insecurity
There were 1,980 adolescents who reported that their inability to control hunger was a barrier to weight loss and 3,295 adolescents who said it was not a barrier. The hunger barrier group had a higher percentage of participants who stated their weight made them feel unhappy (56% vs. 36%) and their body made them feel insecure (48% vs. 31%) than the non-barrier group. The non-barrier group had a higher proportion of adolescents who were comfortable about their body (42% vs. 19%), satisfied with their weight (38% vs. 14%), and confident about their body (38% vs. 16%) than the hunger barrier group.
The percentage of adolescents in the hunger barrier group who were worried about their weight (85% vs. 64%) and who were worried a lot about their weight affecting their future health (44% vs. 32%) was higher compared with the non-barrier group. More adolescents in the hunger barrier group reported a weight-loss attempt in the past year (70% vs. 51%) and stated they would likely try to lose weight in the next 6 months (42% vs. 36%) compared with non-barrier group.
Groups differ with eating habits, weight management behaviors
In an assessment of food and weight management habits, a higher percentage of participants in the hunger barrier group said they believed that their weight was above normal compared with the non-barrier group (90% vs. 68%). A higher percentage of those in the hunger barrier group stated they had fruits and vegetables (61% vs. 47%), sugary snacks (55% vs. 36%) and sugary drinks (53% vs. 35%) available in the house than the non-barrier group. However, Bin-Abbas noted adolescents in the hunger barrier group displayed some improved health behaviors compared with the non-barrier group.
“A significantly greater proportion of adolescents who reported that an inability to control hunger was a barrier to weight loss indicated that they or their family frequently order takeout and that there are typically sugary snacks and sugary drinks available in their house,” Bin-Abbas said. “On the other hand, a greater proportion of them reported that they had improved their eating habits, become more physically active, recorded the foods they ate, seen a nutritionist, and seen an obesity or weight management doctor.”
Bin-Abbas said further analysis of the data is underway, with researchers examining the data from each of the 10 countries included in the study.
“In addition to that, we are looking at the psychosocial impact of obesity on these adolescents, the effect of obesity unawareness on their perceptions, attitudes and behaviors, and also the effect of health care providers training in weight management on their attitudes and behaviors when treating adolescents living with obesity,” Bin-Abbas said.
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Bin-Abbas B, et al. PO3.045. Presented at: European Congress on Obesity; May 17-20, 2023; Dublin.
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