Relationship Between Weight Status and Self-Image Mediated by Pubertal Timing and Athletic Competence: A Cohort Study With Taiwanese Adolescents

Jen-Hao Kuo; Josue Jaru Ubeda Herrera; Chia-Yi Liu; Ting-Hsuan Lee; Carol Strong; Chung-Ying Lin; Yun-Hsuan Chang; Yi-Ching Lin; Yi-Ping Hsieh; Meng-Che Tsai

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.890751

Relationship Between Weight Status and Self-Image Mediated by Pubertal Timing and Athletic Competence: A Cohort Study With Taiwanese Adolescents

Front Public Health. 2022 Jul 22:10:890751. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.890751. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jen-Hao Kuo¹, Josue Jaru Ubeda Herrera^{2

3}, Chia-Yi Liu¹, Ting-Hsuan Lee¹, Carol Strong⁴, Chung-Ying Lin⁵, Yun-Hsuan Chang^{6

7

8

9}, Yi-Ching Lin¹⁰, Yi-Ping Hsieh¹¹, Meng-Che Tsai^{3

12}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
² Department of Business Administration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁵ Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁶ Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsin University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁷ Health and Counseling Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁸ Institute of Gerontology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁹ Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Early Childhood and Family Education, College of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Social Work, College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, United States.
¹² Department of Medical Humanities and Social Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: Self-image reflects overall self-acceptance in developing adolescents. Using a representative cohort of Taiwanese youth, this study aims to explore the relationship between weight status, pubertal timing, athletic competence, and adolescent self-image.

Methods: Data come from the Taiwan Youth Project that comprised a longitudinal cohort of adolescents (N = 2690, 51% males, Mage = 13.3 ± 0.5 years) surveyed annually from seventh grade. Self-image was measured by perceived satisfaction with appearance and physique. Weight status was proxied by self-reported body mass index (BMI; kg/m²). Pubertal timing was defined using the Pubertal Developmental Scale, which mainly measured physical changes in puberty. Athletic competence was assessed by experiences with participation in competitive sports and self-perceived talent for sports. Linear regression analysis was applied to test for an association between BMI and self-image. In order to test for mediating roles of pubertal timing and athletic competence, Hayes' PROCESS macro on SPSS was conducted applying 5,000 bootstrap resamples with 95% confidence intervals of the indirect effect.

Results: BMI was inversely associated with self-image in both males (β = -0.074, [-0.095, -0.053]) and females (β = -0.095, [-0.122, -0.069]). The boot-strapped 95% confidence intervals indicated statistically significant mediating effects of pubertal timing (β = -0.008, [-0.015, -0.001]) and athletic competence (β = -0.006, [-0.011, -0.002]) in the link between BMI and self-image in females, whilst only athletic competence mediated this association (β = -0.006, [-0.009, -0.002]) in males. Moreover, BMI at baseline were also associated with long-term self-image in males (β = -0.037, [-0.057, -0.017]) and females (β = 0.132, [0.073, 0.190]).

Conclusions: Understanding the mediating factors may help enhance adolescents' self-image by providing guidance on healthy weight and physical activity behaviors according to different stages of pubertal progression.

Keywords: athletic performance; body image; pubertal timing; self-image; weight status.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Puberty*
Self Report
Sports*
Surveys and Questionnaires