| ObjectivesThis study investigated the height and weight and weight perception of students in Guangzhou universities to understand the distribution of students’body mass index and weight perception,to explore the factors influencing weight perception bias,and to provide reference for the authorities to formulate intervention measures.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study,in which 4493 students from four universities in Guangzhou were selected as the study subjects.A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used for the quantitative study.The quantitative study used a questionnaire survey,which included:1.general demographic characteristics;2.body mass index(BMI)and body shape perception;3.exercise and sleep.The qualitative study used the interview method to explore the factors influencing the formation of weight perception at the individual level,family level and social level.SPSS 23.0software was used to analyse the factors influencing the presence of weight perception bias among university students.Quantitative data were compared using t-test or ANOVA for differences in quantitative data,andχ~2test or fisher’s exact probability method for rates or composition ratios for count data.For variables that were significant for univariate analysis,multifactor analysis was conducted using dichotomous logistic regression analysis to explore the factors influencing weight perception bias.Qualitative data were analysed using ATLAS.ti8.0.Results1.Quantitative research(1)General demographic characteristicsA total of 4932 questionnaires were collected and 4423 valid questionnaires were obtained.The proportion of male and female students is similar,and the age is concentrated in 18-22 years old;The grades are mainly freshmen and sophomores,and the academic composition is mainly undergraduate;More than 70%of students’monthly living expenses are 1000-2000 yuan;The family characteristics of non only children account for 60%.(2)Body mass index and self-evaluationThe number of students with a body mass index in the normal range was 2485(56.2%).The proportion of underweight is higher than overweight obesity among female students(26.2%vs 8.8%,6.8%,P<0.05).The proportion of overweight obese students was higher than underweight among male students(19.7%,14.1%vs11.9%,P<0.05).In terms of self-evaluation,1861 students(42.1%)rated themselves as obese and 1846 students(41.7%)rated themselves as normal weight.There were1941 students(43.9%)whose perceived body weight self-evaluation did not agree with their actual BMI evaluation,and students’body mass index was poorly aligned with their weight self-evaluation(Kappa=0.303,P<0.05).(3)Influence factorA one-way ANOVA comparing demographic characteristics,family characteristics and intimacy characteristics between groups with and without weight perception bias revealed statistical differences in gender(χ~2=144.081,P<0.05),profession(χ~2=35.937,P<0.05),education(χ~2=9.011,P<0.05),being an only child(χ~2=25.757,P<0.05),relationship status(χ~2=14.208,P<0.05),and body mass index(χ~2=312.403,P<0.05)were statistically different.The results of multivariate analysis showed that compared with boys,girls were more likely to have cognitive bias(OR=1.29,1.10～1.50).Compared with college students,undergraduates(OR=1.34,1.06～1.70)and postgraduates(OR=1.34,1.08～1.66)are more likely to have cognitive bias,while non only children are more likely to have cognitive bias than only children(OR=1.23,1.06～1.41).Compared with students in love,single students are less likely to have cognitive bias(OR=0.85,0.75～0.98).2.Qualitative interviewFrom the perspective of personal factors,understanding the needs of ideal body shape and lack of knowledge of healthy weight are the individual performance characteristics of respondents.From the perspective of family environment,it is learned that the body shape of parents and other family members,parents’attitude and family eating and exercise habits also have an impact on College Students’weight cognitive bias.From the perspective of intimacy,the body shape of boyfriend/girlfriend and the attitude of boyfriend/girlfriend also have an impact on College Students’weight cognitive bias.From the perspective of social environment,it is learned that the influence of social circles,the evaluation of relatives and friends,star information and the social culture of image supremacy also indirectly play a certain role in the respondents’weight cognitive bias.Conclusions1.The detection rate of underweight is higher than that of overweight and obese students in Guangzhou universities,especially among female students,which is a health problem that needs attention.2.More than 40%of the respondents had weight perception bias,and female students were more likely to have perception bias than male students.In addition,education,family characteristics and intimate relationships were all associated with the occurrence of body size perception bias.3.Strong personal need for ideal body size,lack of knowledge about healthy weight,parents’and other family members’body size,family eating and exercise habits,boy/girlfriend’s body size,male and female friends’attitudes,obesity talk in social circles,celebrity information and image-oriented social culture were all factors influencing weight perception bias among university students. |
