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Associations between socioeconomic and family determinants and weight-control behaviours among adolescents

  • Original article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

Family factors may play a role in adolescents’ weight-control behaviours (WCB), and economic determinants strongly affect adolescents’ health in terms of unhealthy weight-control behaviours (UWCB). This study examines the nexus of socioeconomic status, perceived family wealth, and number of employed parents and Israeli adolescents’ WCB and asks whether family-related variables mediate WCB.

Methods

Data from the 2014 Israeli Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study are analysed using structural equation modelling.

Results

High family affluence and high perceived family wealth are negatively associated with UWCB. Having two employed parents related to lower levels of UWCB. Family-related variables such as family communication and support and parental monitoring mitigate UWCB. Family meals have a significantly positive effect on healthy weight-control behaviour (HWCB) and a significantly negative impact on unhealthy weight-control activities.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that economic factors such as socioeconomic status and number of employed parents should be taken into account in long-term weight-control practice. The combination of WCB and family meals is the most effective method for adolescents’ healthy weight-control behaviour.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the HBSC international research network, which developed the research protocol of the study.

Funding

The study was supported in part by the Israel Ministry of Health (#3–9440) and the Israel Ministry of Education and in other part by a grant from the Israel Ministry of Science, Technology and Space (MOST) (#3–13634).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Systems Management, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, POB 1930000, Yezreel Valley, Israel

    Aviad Tur-Sinai

  2. School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Aviad Tur-Sinai

  3. The International Research Program on Adolescent Well-Being and Health, School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Tanya Kolobov & Yossi Harel-Fisch

  4. Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel

    Riki Tesler

  5. School of Public Health, Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

    Orna Baron-Epel

  6. Henrietta Szold Institute, The National Institute for Research in the Behavioural Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel

    Keren Dvir

Authors
  1. Aviad Tur-Sinai
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  2. Tanya Kolobov
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  3. Riki Tesler
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  4. Orna Baron-Epel
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  5. Keren Dvir
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  6. Yossi Harel-Fisch
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Correspondence to Aviad Tur-Sinai.

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Tur-Sinai, A., Kolobov, T., Tesler, R. et al. Associations between socioeconomic and family determinants and weight-control behaviours among adolescents. Int J Public Health 65, 1689–1698 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01498-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01498-w

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