김혜신, 장준환, 이근미, 정승필, 금신호

영남대학교 의과대학 영남대학교의료원 가정의학과

Background: Mental health issues in adolescents have recently emerged as a social concern. Previous studies
reported that there was a relationship between body image perception and mental health. The purpose of this
study was to determine the correlations between actual or perceptional weight status and mental health issues
in adolescents in Korea.
Methods: Data was based on the 5th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data (2010-2012). The
subjects were 1989 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Depending on the actual or perceptional weight status,
participants were divided into several groups. Mental health indicators included experiencing stress, depressed
mood and suicidal ideation.
Results: The multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted controlling for age, abdominal obesity, smoking
and alcohol use, potency of exercises, and household income. Although this study did not find a correlation
between actual weight status and mental health variables, it did find that girls who perceived themselves as
overweight were more likely to experience stress (odds ratio, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.41-3.56) and depressed mood
(odds ratio, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.01-3.62).
Conclusions: Adolescent females in Korea who perceived themselves as overweight experienced significantly
more stress and depressed mood.
Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(3):129-135
Keywords: Adolescent, Mental health, Weight perception