Open Collections

Al-anzi, Shams Moh'd Fares

University of British Columbia

Background: Weight-related challenges in young people under twenty four years of age is a global health issue. Young people who are overweight or obese often feel socially devalued, and subsequently experience weight-related victimization. These experiences place young people at a higher risk of suicidal behaviours. Justification: There is a gap in the scholarly literature examining whether the prevalence of weight-related victimization and suicidality has changed over time while assessing the disparities in these experiences among Canadian young people. Objective: To examine how weight-related victimization and suicidality have been affected over ten years amongst high-school boys and girls of different weight groups in British Columbia. Methods: A secondary analysis of data was conducted using the British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey (B.C. AHS) of grades seven and twelve students over three survey cycles. Weight-related experiences of interest included teasing, social exclusion, physical assault, appearance-related discrimination, and suicidality (ideation, attempt). Disaggregated by weight status and survey cycle, data were analyzed using cross-tab analyses and aged-adjusted logistic regressions for boys and girls. Results: Weight-related bullying, discrimination, and suicidality were more prevalent among overweight/obese and underweight boys and girls compared to their healthy weight peers with some exceptions and considerations. In terms of change over time between 2003 and 2013, teasing and social exclusion increased among healthy weight boys and girls and teasing increased among underweight girls. Physical assault decreased among healthy weight boys and girls and overweight/obese boys. Appearance-related discrimination decreased among most weight categories except healthy weight girls as they had increasing trends. Suicidal ideation decreased among boys and girls, except underweight boys. Suicidal attempt decreased only among healthy weight girls. Year-by-weight status interactions indicate that the gap in teasing between overweight/obese and healthy weight girls narrowed in 2013 compared to 2003. The gap in appearance-related discrimination between overweight/obese, underweight, and healthy weight boys narrowed in 2013 compared to 2003. The gap in appearance-related discrimination between overweight/obese and healthy weight girls narrowed in 2013 compared to 2003. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate the need for improved nursing research and practices to alleviate weight-related victimization and suicidality amongst youth in British Columbia.

Text

2021-10-04

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/79883

Nursing

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/