The role of overweight perception and depressive symptoms in child and adolescent unhealthy weight control behaviors: a mediation model.

Objective: Children who are overweight or obese are at risk for depression and development of unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs), including using diet pills, purging, or fasting. Explications of pathways leading to UWCBs are needed to prevent the associated negative health outcomes.

Methods: Participants were 106 children/adolescents 8-17 years of age at a pediatric clinic. Measures included child body mass index, the Child Depression Inventory-Short Form, and questionnaires assessing perception of overweight and UWCBs used in the past year. Depression was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between perception of overweight and UWCBs.

Results: A bootstrapped mediation model revealed that depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between youth perception of overweight and UWCBs accounting for youth body mass index z-score. The total model explained 24% of the variance in UWCBs. Discussion This study presents a potential mechanism by which youth perception of overweight may influence UWCBs. Longitudinal research is needed to further elucidate the directionality of these relationships.