Many Overweight and Obese Teens Underestimate Their Weight

超重青少年或许低估了自己体重

A survey of nearly 5,000 13- to 15-year-olds in the U.K. found that 40 percent of overweight and obese teens did not self-identify as “too heavy.” Cynthia Graber reports

英国一项对5000名13至15岁青少年的调查显示，有40%的青少年没有意识到自己是超重的。

撰文/播音 辛西亚·格雷伯（Cynthia Graber）

翻译 李轩

Obesity increases your risk for heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and even forms of cancer. So it’s probably a good idea to get in the habit of eating right and exercising while you’re still young. But teens get mixed messages about what’s a healthy body weight. They’re bombarded with unrealistic images of ultraskinny celebrities and models, while also seeing media coverage of obesity that includes photos of those who are exceptionally obese.

肥胖会增加你患心脏病、中风、糖尿病甚至一些癌症的风险。所以在你年轻的时候注意饮食，勤于锻炼将使你终身受益。但是青少年会接触到各式各样有关健康体重的信息。一方面，他们会看到大量有着魔鬼身材的名人与模特的照片，另一方面又会从媒体上看到异常肥胖的人。

So a group of researchers in the U.K. wanted to know, do British teens have an accurate sense of where they fall along the weight scale? 

鉴于此，英国的一个研究小组想知道，青少年是否对自己的体重有着正确的定位。

They examined data from nearly 5,000 13- to 15-year-olds collected between 2005 and 2012 by what’s called the Health Survey for England. Of the group, nearly three-quarters were normal weight. Twenty percent were overweight, with seven percent obese. 

他们检视了2005至2012年间通过英国健康调查收集到了5000个13岁到15岁的体重数据。在这个年龄组中，有大约3/4处于正常体重，有20%超重，7%肥胖。

The survey included asked this question for that age group: “Given your age and height, would you say that you are about the right weight, too heavy, or too light?”

在调查中，受访者会被提问：“根据你的身高与年龄，你能否说出自己的体重是正常、偏重还是偏轻吗？”

Despite the thin-celebrity-saturated culture, 83 percent of normal weight adolescents thought they were, in fact, a healthy weight. Not surprisingly, the data changed by gender, 11 percent of normal-weight girls thought they were too heavy, compared to just four percent of boys. 

尽管英国有着对身材超瘦名人的崇拜，但83%的处于正常体重范围的青少年，能正确认识自己的体重。有11%处于正常体重的女孩认为自己偏重，而只有4%处于正常体重的男孩认为自己偏重，不过这一差别在意料之中。

But the bad news: nearly forty percent of the overweight and obese teens did not self-identify as “too heavy.” Overweight girls recognized the issue more than boys did—nearly half the boys did not think that they were too heavy. The study is in the International Journal of Obesity. [S. E. Jackson et al, Weight perceptions in a population sample of English adolescents: cause for celebration or concern?]

但是坏消息是：大约有40%的超重或肥胖的青少年并不自觉自己偏重。超重女孩的自觉程度相对比男孩好，超重男孩中大约有一半没有意识到自己超重了。研究结果发表在了《国际肥胖期刊》。

The researchers say the data on overweight teens, particularly boys, “may have implications for the future health and wellbeing of young people,” and that overweight teens are substantially more likely to become overweight adults. Recognizing that there’s a lack of awareness among some teens could be a first step toward a healthier future.

研究人员称，超重青少年，尤其是男孩的数据或许可以暗示未来年轻人的健康状况，超重的青少年在成年后有很大机率仍然超重。意识到一些青少年对自己体重有错误的认识是通向健康未来的第一步。