Obesity prevention messages, risk behaviors for eating disorders and body mass index. Cluster analysis

CRUZ LICEA, VERÓNICA; MORÁN ÁLVAREZ, ISABEL CRISTINA ; PLASCENCIA GONZÁLEZ, CARMEN; GONGORA, VANESA C.

Technium Social Sciences Journal

Technium Science

Lugar: Constanta; Año: 2020 vol. 8 p. 685 - 693

2668-7798

Public health experts have argued that obesity prevention campaigns can havenegative health effects such as risk behaviors for eating disorders. This study aimed to identifythe relationship between body mass index, the presence of risk behaviors for eating disorders,and hearing to obesity prevention messages. The adolescents were measured to calculate theirbody mass index. The presence of risk behaviors for eating disorders was evaluated, and thenumber and frequently of obesity prevention messages they heard was registered. A clusteranalysis was used for the statistical analysis. Among the results it was found, that theadolescents reported hearing an average of seven different obesity prevention messages in oneweek; the most commonly heard message was measure your waist. The most common riskbehaviors for eating disorders seen in the adolescents were excessive exercise and fear ofgaining weight. One cluster were identified obese adolescents that reported hearing fewerobesity prevention messages and presented various risk behaviors for eating disorders. Othercluster were normal weight adolescents that reported hearing more obesity preventionmessages and presented few risk behaviors for eating disorders. In conclusion, it is advisable todesign campaigns that simultaneously prevent obesity and risk behaviors for eating disorders.