A Word to the Wise: Adolescent Reactions to Parental Communication about Weight

With high rates of adolescent obesity, many parents are talking to adolescents about their body weight. Parental "weight talk" is linked with adverse health behaviors in youth, but we know little about what parents say in these conversations. Using a weight loss treatment-seeking sample of adolescents, the present study assessed adolescents' emotional reactions to words their parents use to describe their weight and preferred language for these interactions.

Adolescents enrolled in a national weight loss camp (N = 148) completed a questionnaire assessing their preferences for, and emotional reactions to, parental use of 18 words to describe their body weight.

Findings showed a diverse range of weight language used by parents, with many words inducing negative emotional reactions of embarrassment, shame, and sadness in adolescents. Emotional responses to weight language varied according to adolescents' gender, BMI, and experience of weight-teasing from family members.

Findings underscore the need to carefully consider language; parents should avoid making assumptions about what language to use in conversations with adolescents about their weight. Educating parents how to identify negative weight talk may help promote more supportive parental communication about weight-related health.