Reece, L.J., Bissell, P. orcid.org/0000-0001-6503-6205 and Copeland, R.J. (2016) ‘ I just don't want to get bullied anymore, then I can lead a normal life ’; Insights into life as an obese adolescent and their views on obesity treatment. Health Expectations, 19 (4). pp. 897-907. ISSN 1369-6513
Abstract
Background
Adolescent obesity is a complex condition involving social, emotional, behavioural and cultural issues.
Design
One-to-one interviews and small focus groups with overweight and obese young people were conducted. Qualitative research is an appropriate method to explore the complexity of this issue.
Setting and participants
Overweight and obese adolescent's attending a community weight management intervention in South Yorkshire.
Main variables studied
Interviews aimed to explore the experiences of obese adolescents and their perspectives towards obesity treatment.
Results
Adolescent's provided detailed accounts of their perspectives on weight gain, alluding to disordered patterns of eating and overeating, reported as being triggered by social and emotional factors, and in particular, bullying. Avoidance of bullying and a desire to integrate socially with peers were key drivers to seek treatment. Young people reported what they should do to lose weight, yet responsibility for successful weight loss and lifestyle change was repeatedly attributed to the treatment received, as opposed to viewing this as a combination of self-motivation coupled with support provided by friends and family.
Conclusion
Weight loss programmes need to consider the complex experience of obese young people in their design, focusing on how to implement long-term lifestyle changes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | adolescent; bullying; emotional; obesity; treatment |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > ScHARR - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 26 Jul 2017 13:48 |
Last Modified: | 26 Jul 2017 13:48 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12385 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley Open Access |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/hex.12385 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:119405 |