Obesity and Body Image Among Maltreated and Comparison Youth

Background and Purpose:  One third of all adolescents are overweight or obese, and this has numerous negative physical and mental health consequences.  One such consequence may be reduced body image.  Although research has shown a link between obesity and body image, little is known about the different ways this impacts maltreated and comparison youth particularly among a diverse sample of adolescents.  This study seeks to understand the relationship between obesity and body image among maltreated and comparison youth in a primarily Latino and African-American population. 

Methods:   This study utilized data from Time 1 of the Young Adolescent Project, a study examining the impact of child maltreatment on adolescent development.  Maltreated participants were recruited from open cases in the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, and comparison adolescents were recruited from the same zip codes as the maltreated group.  The sample was primarily Latino and African-American (39.0% and 37.7%, respectively).  BMI was calculated with measured height and weight data, and dichotomized into healthy weight (less than 85^th percentile) and overweight/obese (greater than or equal to 85^th percentile).  Only 1.5% of youth were underweight and were excluded from this study.  Body image was calculated as a continuous variable based on the body image subsection of the Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents.  Maltreatment was dummy coded.  The sample was stratified by gender, and a linear regression model was used controlling for age, being Latino, and pubertal status.

Results:  The 441 participants (203 girls and 238 boys) were 8-13 years of age (M=11.0).  51% of the sample was overweight or obese.  There were no statistically significant differences in BMI category or body image score between boys and girls.  The overall regression model was significant for girls and boys (R²=.07, F[5,197] = 3.06, p=.01; R²=.07, F[5,232] = 3.30, p<.01).  Among girls, being Latina and being overweight/obese was associated with reduced body image (B=-.17, p=.01; B=-.17, p=.02).  Among boys, being maltreated was associated with reduced body image (B=-0.24, p<.01). 

Conclusions and Implications:  This study examined the relationship between overweight/obesity and body image for both girls and boys among maltreated and comparison youth.  For girls, being Latina was related to decreased body image, which supports earlier studies that show that college-age Latina women have lower body image.  For girls, being overweight/obese had small, but statistically significant effects on body image.  Boys who were maltreated, were more likely to have decreased body image.  This finding indicates that maltreatment negatively impacts body image for boys, but has no effect on body image for girls.  Sociocultural pressure to be thin impacts girls more than boys.  While body image for girls is related to external pressure, it may be that internal stress from experiences like maltreatment are more likely to impact a boys' body image.  This finding has implications for working with vulnerable youth who are overweight and/or are struggling with body image issues.  Future research should examine these same relationships over time.