Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Self-described weight status of Mexican-American adolescents
1Division of Health Examination Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland.
Purpose:
To evaluate Mexican-American adolescents' descriptions of their weight status.
Methods:
Data were from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted in 1982-1983 among Mexican-Americans in five southwestern states. The current study used data on 429 males and 485 non-pregnant females 12-19 years old. In an interview, participants were asked to describe their weight status (underweight, about the right weight, overweight); in an examination (performed two to four weeks after the interview), weights and heights were measured. Each participant's body-mass index (weight/height2) was calculated, and single year of age-and-sex-specific BMI cutoffs were used to determine each participant's BMI decile.
Results:
The overweight description was chosen by 46% of females and 23% of males, and the underweight description by 7% of females and 17% of males. The percentage of adolescents self-described as overweight rose with increasing BMI percentile, the rise starting in the 30-39th percentiles for females and in 60-69th percentiles for males.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that many Mexican-American adolescents misperceive their weight status.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Marcia's Theory of Identity Status
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience

