Body mass index self-perception and weight management behaviors during late adolescence.

Background: This study examined the relationship between actual body weight and self-perceived weight, and how perception of one's weight affects weight management behaviors among US adolescents.

Methods: Adolescents ages 16-19 years with objectively-measured weight and height and self-reported perception of weight, weight-loss efforts, and health-related behaviors (N = 642) from the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) were included. Sociodemographic variables, body mass index percentile, weight perception, weight-loss efforts, and health-related behaviors were examined using Wald chi-square, Student's t test, analysis of variance, and logistic regression.

Identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety in students in the school setting.

Early detection of mental health problems in school-age children offers the opportunity for prompt referral to treatment which is critical to their success in school. School nurses are in a key position to screen for mental health issues in the school setting. This article discusses how school nurses began a new initiative to use two validated screening tools, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item for detecting depression and the 5-item Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders for detecting anxiety in middle school/high school-aged children in selected urban schools.