Oral Presentation ANZOS-Breakthrough Discoveries Joint Annual Scientific Meeting 2018

Predictors of persistent body weight misclassification from adolescence period to adulthood: A longitudinal study (#69)

Abdulaziz AA Aloufi 1 , Jake Najman 1 2 , Abdullah Mamun 1 3
  1. School of Pubic Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  2. School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
  3. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Objective: This study examined whether body weight misclassification continues from adolescent to adulthood and associated predictors behind that misclassification.

Method: Data are from a sample of participants who were part of the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP). Data analyses were restricted to 2938 participants whose measured and perceived body weight were recorded during their adolescent and adulthood follow-ups. Measured body weight was categorized into (underweight—obese) and participants reported their perceived body weight at each follow-up. To identify misclassification, we objectively compared their measured and perceived body weight at each follow-up. Potential predictors during early life or adolescence periods were included in data analyses.

Results: At each follow-up, normal weight participants were more likely to estimate their body weight correctly compared to their under, overweight, and obese counterparts. Weight underestimation was recorded more often among overweight and obese participants while overestimation was recorded more often among underweight ones. In gender analysis, more than 40% of males and of females were able to correctly estimate their body weight at one follow-up while almost 30% of males and 40% of females were able to do so in more than one follow-up. Almost a third of females and more than 45 % of males were underestimated their body weight at one follow-up while a 13% of females and a quarter of males were able to do so in more than one follow-up. Being female, dieting, being overweight, having overweight mother, being White, and having poor mental health were the most significant predictors for more than one follow-up misclassification.

Conclusion: Finding of this study suggested that weight misclassification may persist from adolescent to adulthood. Being female, dieting, overweight, and mental health appeared to be predictors behind persistent weight misclassification. Further study needed to evaluate the impact of persistent misclassification on population health benefits.