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SAN FRANCISCO (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS) – Body-size awareness was associated with a decrease in BMI among Latino children and teens, said Grace Lim, MD, a pediatrician in King City, Calif.
Awareness of body size, as a proxy for motivation to change behavior, was based on choices of sex-specific body silhouettes in comparison to actual body mass index (BMI) z-scores. Dr. Lim and her coauthor, Dr. Nazrat Mirza, conducted a study at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington of 80 overweight or obese Latino youths aged 7-15 years who were taking part in a 12-week, community-based weight management program: 68% of study participants demonstrated awareness of overweight or obese body sizes. They were more likely to be older (P less than .001) and with higher maternal age (P = .02). Body-size awareness in the child was positively associated with a decrease in BMI during the intervention period (P less than .001).
Younger unaware children were more likely to have BMI decrease post intervention if their mothers were aware (P = .03), Dr. Lim said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Lim said that she had no relevant financial disclosures.
