Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Self-Esteem, Teasing and Quality of Life: African American Adolescent Girls Participating in a Family-Based Pediatric Overweight Intervention

  • Published:
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Two studies investigated overweight in African American girls. First, African American adolescent girls (BMI was ≥ 85th percentile) and their mothers participated in focus groups addressing weight and eating. Although mothers and daughters shared some similar views on these issues, there were important discrepancies, with mothers expressing greater doubt about the potential success of a healthy weight program. The second study evaluated baseline data from 39 African American girls participating in a weight management program; mothers' reports were also analyzed. In both studies, adolescents reported significant teasing, and in the second study, teasing was inversely associated with social quality of life (β=.55, t=3.01, p=.007). Motivation to participate was positively associated with teasing (r=.50, p < .01). Self-esteem was inversely related to positive health habits (all p < .05). Mothers who viewed their daughters as having higher self-esteem were less concerned about their daughters' weight. Differences in mothers' and daughters' perceptions highlight the importance of a family approach in pediatric overweight interventions. Results provide evidence that overweight African American girls face significant weight stigmatization and suggest areas to target regarding intervention implementation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. A detailed description of the multidisciplinary intervention program and all its components is beyond the scope of the present study and can be obtained by writing to the first author.

REFERENCES

  • Anderson, C. B., Hughes, S. O., Fisher, J. O., & Nicklas, T. A. (2005). Cross-cultural equivalence of feeding beliefs and practices: The psychometric properties of the child feeding questionnaire among blacks and Hispanics. Preventive Medicine, 41, 521–531.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baskin, M. L., Ahluwalia, H. K., & Resnicow, K. (2001). Obesity intervention among African American children and adolescents. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 48, 1027–1039.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baugham, A. E., Chamberlin, L. A., Deeks, C. M., Powers, S. W., & Whitaker, R. C. (2000). Maternal perceptions of overweight preschool children. Pediatrics, 106, 1380–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birch, L. L., Fisher, J. O., Grimm-Tjomas, K., Markey, C. N., Sawyer, R., & Johnson, S. L. (2001). Confirmatory factor analysis of the Child Feeding Questionnaire: A measure of parental attitudes, beliefs and practices about child feeding and obesity proneness. Appetite, 36, 201–210.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blascovich, J., & Tomaka, J. (1991). Measures of self-esteem. In J. Robinson, P. Shaver, & L. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 115–160). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cachelin, F. M., Veisel, C., Barzengarnazari, E., & Striegel-Moore, R. H. (2000). Disordered eating, acculturation, and treatment-seeking in a community sample of Hispanic, Asian, Black and White women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24, 244–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity Web site. Still on the Rise, New Data Show. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/02news/obesityonrise.htm. Accessed February 15, 2003.

  • Chapman, P. L., & Mullis, R. L. (2000). Racial differences in adolescent coping and self-esteem. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 161, 152–160.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R., & Armstead, C. (2000). Preliminary study examining relationship between family environment and resting mean arterial pressure in African American youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27, 3–5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coopersmith, S. (1981). The self-esteem inventory (SEI). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davison, K. K., & Birch, L. L. (2002). Processes linking weight status and self-concept among girls from ages 5 to 7 years. Developmental Psychology, 38, 735–748.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, T., & Shewchuk, R. (2002). Using the nominal group technique to identify the problems experienced by persons who live with severe physical disability. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 9, 65–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Johnson, C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999–2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 1723–1727.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flodmark, C. E., Lissau, I., Moreno, L. A., Pietrobelli, A., & Widhalm, K. (2004). New insights into the field of children and adolescents' obesity: The European perspective. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1189–1196.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gennuso, J., Epstein, L. H., Paluch, R. A., & Cerny, F. (1998). The relationship between asthma and obesity in urban minority children and adolescents. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 152, 1197–1200.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gleason, J. H., Alexander, A. M., & Somers, C. L. (2000). Later adolescents' reactions to three types of childhood teasing: Relations with self-esteem and body image. Social Behavior and Personality, 28, 471–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hailey, B. J. (1991). Family history of breast cancer and screening behavior: An inverted U-shaped curve. Medical Hypotheses, 36, 397–403.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hedley, A. A., Ogden, C. L., Johnson, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., & Flegal, K. M. (2004). Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA, 291, 2847–2850.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heinberg, L. J., Haythornthwaite, J. A., Rosofsky, W., McCarron, P., & Clarke, A. (2000). Body image and weight loss compliance in elderly African American hypertensives. American Journal of Health Behavior, 24, 163–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinberg, L. J., Thompson, J. K., & Matzon, J. L. (2001). Body image dissatisfaction as a motivator for lifestyle change: Is some distress beneficial? In R. H. Striegel-Moore, & L. Smolak (Eds.), Eating disorders: Innovative directions in research and practice (pp. 215–232). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine (2004). Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the balance. Washington, DC: The National Academies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jain, A., Sherman, S. N., Chamberlin, L. A., Carter, Y., Powers, S. W., & Whitaker, R. C. (2001). Why don't low-income mothers worry about their preschoolers being overweight? Pediatrics, 107, 1138–1146.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jelalian, E., & Mehlenbeck, R. (2003). Pediatric obesity. In M. Roberts (Ed.), Handbook of pediatric psychology (pp. 529–543). NY: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiess, W., Galler, A., Reich, A., Muller, G., Kapellen, T., Deutscher, J. et al. (2001). Clinical aspects of obesity in childhood and adolescence. Obesity Reviews, 1, 29–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimm, S. Y. S., Glynn, N. W., Kriska, A. M., Barton, B. A., Kronsberg, S. S., Daniels, S. R. et al. (2002). Decline in physical activity in Black girls and White girls during adolescence. New England Journal of Medicine, 347, 709–715.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, S., Scott, B. J., & Daniels, S. R. (2005). Pediatric obesity epidemic: Treatment options. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105, S44–S51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, M. D., Ringham, R. M., Kalarchian, M. A., Wisniewski, L., & Marcus, M. D. (2001). Is family-based behavioral weight control appropriate for severe pediatric obesity? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 30, 318–328.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman, M., Gauvin, L., Bukowski, W. M., & White, D. R. (2001). Interpersonal influence and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls: The role of peer modeling, social reinforcement, and body-related teasing. Eating Behaviors, 2, 215–236.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindquist, C. H., Reynolds, K. D., & Goran, M. I. (1999). Sociocultural determinants of physical activity among children. Preventive Medicine, 29, 305–312.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Melnyk, M. G., & Weinstein, E. (1994). Preventing obesity in black women by targeting adolescents: A literature review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 94, 536–541.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moos, R. H., & Moos, B. S. (1986). Family environment scale manual (2nd Ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nader, P. R., Stone, E. J., Lytle, L. A., Perry, C. L., Osganian, S. K., Kelder, S. et al. (1999). Three-year maintenance of improved diet and physical activity. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 153, 695–704.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., & Faibisch, L. (1998). Perceived stigmatization among overweight African American girls and Caucasian adolescent girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 23, 264–270.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogden, C. L., Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., & Johnson, C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999–2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 1728–1732.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paeratakul, S., Lovejoy, J. C., Ryan, D. H., & Bray, G. A. (2002). The relation of gender, race and socioeconomic status to obesity and obesity comorbidities in a sample of US adults. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1205–1210.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parnell, K., Sargent, R., Thompson, S. H., Duhe, S. F., Valois, R. F., & Kemper, R. C. (1996). Black and white adolescent females' perceptions of ideal body size. Journal of School Health, 66, 112–118.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin, E., West, P., & Culley, B. (1989). Is my child normal yet? Correlates of vulnerability. Pediatrics, 83, 355–363.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D. J., Phares, V., Tantleff-Dunn, S., & Thompson, J. K. (1999). Body image, psychological functioning, and parental feedback regarding physical appearance. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 25, 339–343.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1063–1078.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schwimmer, J. B., Burwinkle, T. M., & Varni, J. W. (2003). Health-related quality of life of severely obese children and adolescents. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289, 1813–1819.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Serdula, M. K., Ivery, D., Coates, R. J., Freedman, D. S., Williamson, D. F., & Byers, T. (1993). Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Preventive Medicine, 22, 167–177.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherry, B., McDivitt, J., Birch, L. L., Cook, F. H., Sanders, S., Prish, J. L. et al. (2004). Attitudes, practices, and concerns about child feeding and child weight status among socioeconomically diverse White, Hispanic, and African American mothers. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 104, 215–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sorof, J., & Daniels, S. (2002). Obesity hypertension in children: A problem of epidemic proportions. Hypertension, 40, 441.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stice, E., & Shaw, H. E. (2002). Role of body dissatisfaction in the onset and maintenance of eating pathology: A synthesis of research findings. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 985–993.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, M., Karraker, K., McIntosh, B., Moritzen, S., & Olexa, M. (in press). Relations between mothers' prematurity stereotyping and interactions with their infants during the first year. Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

  • Stolley, M. R., & Fitzgibbon, M. L. (1997). Effects of an obesity prevention program on the eating behavior of African American mothers and daughters. Health Education and Behavior, 24, 152–164.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Story, M. T., Neumark-Stzainer, D. R., Sherwood, N. E., Holt, K., Sofka, D., Trowbridge, F. L., & Barlow, S. E. (2002). Management of child and adolescent obesity: Attitudes, barriers, skills, and training needs among health care professionals. Pediatrics, 110, 210–214.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, R. S., & Knight, J. (1999). Influence of the home environment on the development of obesity in children. Pediatrics, 103, e85.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Striegel-Moore, R. H., & Smolak, L. (1996). The role of race in the development of eating disorders. In L. Smolak, M. P. Levine, & R. H. Striegel-Moore (Eds.), The developmental psychopathology of eating disorders (pp. 259–284). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, J. K., Cattarin, J., Fowler, H., & Fisher, E. (1995). The Perception of Teasing Scale (POTS): A revision and extension of the Physical Appearance Related Teasing Scale (PARTS). Journal of Personality Assessment, 65, 146–157.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Varni, J. W., Seid, M., & Kurtin, P. S. (2001). PedsQL 4.0: Reliability and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 generic core scales in healthy and patient populations. Medical Care, 39, 800–812.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Varni, J. W., Seid, M., & Rode, C. A. (1999). The PedsQL-super(TM): Measurement model for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Medical Care. 37, 126–139.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wadden, T. A., Stunkard, A. J., Rich, L., Rubin, C. J., Sweidel, G., & McKinney, S. (1990). Obesity in black adolescent girls: A controlled clinical trial of treatment by diet, behavior modification, and parental support. Pediatrics, 85, 345–352.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wertheim, E. H., Koerner, J., & Paxton, S. J. (2001). Longitudinal predictors of restrictive eating and bulimic tendencies in three different age groups of adolescent girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30, 69–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrotniak, B. H., Epstein, L. H., Paluch, R. A., & Roemmich, J. N. (2004). Parent weight change as a predictor of child weight change in family-based behavioral obesity treatment. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 158, 342–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaroch, A. L., Resnicow, K., Petty, A. D., & Khan, L. K. (2000). Validity and reliability of a modified qualitative dietary fat index in low-income, overweight, African American adolescent girls. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 100, 1525–1529.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Young-Hyman, D., Schlundt, D. G., Herman-Wenderoth, L., & Bozylinski, K. (2003). Obesity, appearance, and psychosocial adaptation in young African American children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 28, 463–472.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Preparation of this paper is partially supported by a VA Premier contract to the Dept. of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, and by NIH Grant MH-068520 to Dr. Mazzeo. We are grateful to all the mothers and daughters who agreed to participate in this project and for the many colleagues who have and continue to work on the T.E.E.N.S. Healthy Weight Management Program. Among those we need to extend our thanks to are Janet Delorme, Meghan Creehan, Melanie Bean, LaShanda Jones, and Dr. Ronald Evans and his students.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

    Marilyn Stern, Suzanne E. Mazzeo, Jerlym Porter & Clarice Gerke

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

    Marilyn Stern, Suzanne E. Mazzeo & Joseph Laver

  3. Department of Pediatrics and the Hayes Willis Health Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

    Daphne Bryan

  4. Departments of Psychology and Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 808 W. Franklin St., Richmond, Virginia, 23284

    Marilyn Stern

Authors
  1. Marilyn Stern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Suzanne E. Mazzeo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jerlym Porter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Clarice Gerke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Daphne Bryan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Joseph Laver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marilyn Stern.

Additional information

An earlier version of this paper was presented to the meetings of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI, July 30, 2004.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stern, M., Mazzeo, S.E., Porter, J. et al. Self-Esteem, Teasing and Quality of Life: African American Adolescent Girls Participating in a Family-Based Pediatric Overweight Intervention. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 13, 217–228 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-006-9029-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-006-9029-4

KEY WORDS:

Search

Navigation