Physician Advice About Being Overweight: Association With Self-Reported Weight Loss, Dietary, and Physical Activity Behaviors of US Adolescents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to examine the association of physician counseling about being overweight with attempted weight loss, dietary, and physical activity/inactivity behaviors of US teens. METHODS. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1999–2000 and 2001–2002 for 16- to 19-year-old subjects with BMI for age of ≥85th percentile (n = 716). Regression methods were used to examine the association of physician advice about teen weight status with covariate-adjusted differences in reported weight loss, dietary, and physical activity behaviors. RESULTS. Approximately 51% of overweight teens (BMI for age of ≥95th percentile) but only 17% of at-risk teens (BMI for age of 85th to <95th percentile) reported that they had been informed by a doctor about being overweight. More than 60% of those told by a doctor about being overweight had attempted weight loss in the past year, relative to 41% of those who did not receive this advice. Teens informed of their overweight status reported significantly smaller amounts of all foods and beverages and lower energy intake per kilogram of body weight in the 24-hour recall, relative to the comparison group. Physical activity and inactivity behaviors were unrelated to professional counseling about overweight status. CONCLUSION. Physician counseling regarding adolescent overweight status was associated with a positive impact on attempted weight loss and moderate dietary behaviors.