Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
09:36
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Body weight misperception among school going adolescents in Cameroon
Diane Dione Ekwoge1, Joelle Laure Sobngwi-Tambekou1, Jean Claude Katte1,2
1RSD (Recherche Sante et Developpement) Institute, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
BMC Public Health
|May 12, 2026
Summary
One in three Cameroonian adolescents misperceive their body weight, linking inaccurate weight perception to unhealthy practices and poor mental health. Interventions promoting accurate body image are crucial for adolescent well-being.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Health
- Mental Health
Background:
- Body weight misperception is prevalent among adolescents globally.
- Limited evidence exists on body weight misperception in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- This study addresses this gap in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of body weight misperception.
- To identify factors associated with body weight misperception.
- To explore the link between misperception and health outcomes in Cameroonian adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 3,153 adolescents (12-19 years) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
- Utilized WHO Global School-based Student Health Survey questionnaire.
- Calculated Body Mass Index (BMI) for age z-score and employed logistic regression.
Main Results:
- 33.7% of adolescents exhibited weight perception discordance.
- Females and overweight/obese adolescents showed higher prevalence.
- Misperception correlated with unhealthy weight-control behaviors and increased odds of suicide attempts and concentration difficulties.
Conclusions:
- One in three adolescents in Cameroon misperceive their weight status.
- Inaccurate weight perception is linked to unhealthy behaviors and poorer mental health.
- School- and community-based interventions are recommended to promote accurate weight perception and support adolescent well-being.
Related Concept Videos
01:09Apparent Weight
True weight is the measure of the gravitational force acting on an object. However, if the object accelerates, its measured weight is different from its true weight. Similar observations can be made when the object is submerged in water. An object's weight in water is its apparent weight, which is equal to the difference between its true weight and the buoyant forces.
Consider a person standing on a bathroom scale inside an elevator. If the scale is accurate at rest, its reading equals the...
Consider a person standing on a bathroom scale inside an elevator. If the scale is accurate at rest, its reading equals the...
01:19Mass and Weight
Mass and weight are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation. For example, medical records often show our weight in kilograms, but never in the correct units of newtons. In physics, however, there is an important distinction. Weight is the pull of the Earth on an object. It depends on the distance from the center of the Earth. Weight dramatically varies if we leave the Earth's surface, unlike mass, which does not vary with location. On the Moon, for example, the acceleration due to...
01:19Mass and Weight
Mass and weight are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation. For example, medical records often show our weight in kilograms, but never in the correct units of newtons. In physics, however, there is an important distinction. Weight is the pull of the Earth on an object. It depends on the distance from the center of the Earth. Weight dramatically varies if we leave the Earth's surface, unlike mass, which does not vary with location. On the Moon, for example, the acceleration due to...
01:19Energy Balance
The human body gets energy from the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Energy is released when the chemical bonds in the organic compounds present in the food are broken down. The energy content of food is measured in kilocalories (kcal), defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This value is determined by measuring the temperature change of the water surrounding a calorimeter after the complete...
01:21Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
In the United States, obesity is a prominent concern. It is linked to heightened mortality rates due to increased occurrences of conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and diabetes compared to nonobese individuals. A patient is classified as obese if their actual body weight surpasses the ideal or desirable body weight by 20%, based on Metropolitan Life Insurance Company data. Ideal body weights consider average weights and heights for males and females...
01:28Apparent Weight and the Earth's Rotation
Since all objects on the Earth's surface move through a circle every 24 hours, there must be a net centripetal force on each object, directed towards the center of that circle. The points of the north and south poles are the only exception to this rule.
For an object on the Earth's equator, the net centripetal force that accounts for its rotation is the Earth's pull towards its center, or the weight minus the normal force that prevents it from piercing into the Earth's surface. This force,...
For an object on the Earth's equator, the net centripetal force that accounts for its rotation is the Earth's pull towards its center, or the weight minus the normal force that prevents it from piercing into the Earth's surface. This force,...