1.Agreement between body weight perception and body weight status among late adolescents in Kuantan, Malaysia
Nurjasmine Aida Jamani ; Abdul Hadi Said ; Karimah Hanim Abd Aziz ; Mohd Aizuddin Abd Rahman
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2020;75(2):158-163
Objectives: Body weight perception may determine the
practice of proper weight management. The objective of this
study was to measure the agreement between body weight
perception and actual body weight status and its associated
factors among late adolescents in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April
to October 2018 among 479 adolescents aged 17-19 years
old from seven institutions of higher learning in Kuantan.
Body weight status was described as body mass index
(BMI). Weight and height were measured, and BMI was
calculated. Validated, self-administered Figure Rating Scale
(FRS) questionnaires were used. Agreement between BMI
and body weight perception was calculated using Kappa
statistics. Logistic regression was employed to examine the
association between body weight perception and sociodemographic variables.
Results: More than one-third (35.3%) of the respondents
misjudged their own body weight. More than one third of the
respondents (38.7%) who were underweight, misperceived
themselves as having normal weight whilst 31.7% of obese
respondents identified themselves as overweight. The
agreement between body weight perception and body mass
index was moderate (k0.46, p<0.01).
Conclusion: Body weight perception was in moderate
agreement with actual weight in late adolescents. Accurate
body weight perception is an important factor in late
adolescent’s weight management behaviour. Hence, health
education related to body weight management should be
emphasized among this age group.