Content area
Full Text
J Youth Adolescence (2015) 44:870886 DOI 10.1007/s10964-014-0162-3
EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
Early Adolescents Psychosocial Adjustment and Weight Status Change: The Moderating Roles of Gender, Ethnicity,and Acculturation
Yiting Chang Linda C. Halgunseth
Received: 12 March 2014 / Accepted: 21 July 2014 / Published online: 9 August 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract According to many public health experts, obesity is the most serious health threat facing todays early adolescents. This study examined the relationship between psychosocial adjustment (i.e., internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, interpersonal skills) and weight status change during early adolescence and possible moderating roles of gender, ethnicity, and acculturation. Data came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a US nationally representative sample of children who entered kindergarten during 19981999 and were followed through eighth grade. The current study was initiated in the fth grade (n = 6,860; 51 % female). At fth grade, parents reported on household routines; children and teachers reported on indicators of psychosocial adjustment. At fth and eighth grade, childrens weight was measured. Girls weight status stability and change was more likely than boys to be associated with psychosocial adjustment, after accounting for household/child routines and demographic variables. Compared to non-Hispanic White, Hispanic girls who exhibited higher levels of externalizing behaviors at fth grade were more likely to become or stay obese at eighth grade. Hispanic girls who exhibited higher levels of internalizing behaviors at fth grade were more likely to become or stay at a healthy weight at eighth grade, especially if they reported lower levels of acculturation. Lastly, African American girls with better interpersonal skills at
fth grade were more likely to stay obese at eighth grade. Implications for obesity prevention programs with early adolescents are discussed in the contexts of gender, ethnicity and acculturation.
Keywords Obesity Psychosocial development
Gender Ethnicity Acculturation Early adolescence
Introduction
Many public health experts agree that obesity is the most serious health threat facing todays youth. Approximately 32 % of children between the ages 219 in the United States are classied as overweight or obese (i.e., BMI for age C 85th percentile) (Ogden et al. 2014). Adolescence is a sensitive period for obesity prevention (Dietz 1994), because research demonstrates that adolescent obesity is predictive of adult obesity (Magarey et al. 2003). From late...