Abstract

GUENDELMAN, Sylvia; RITTERMAN-WEINTRAUB, Miranda Lucia; HASKIN FERNALD, Lia C  and  KAUFER-HORWITZ, Martha. A population-based comparison of weight and weight perceptions among overweight and obese Mexican and Mexican-American men. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2013, vol.55, suppl.4, pp.s451-s458. ISSN 0036-3634.

Objective. To examine actual and perceived weight in national cohorts of Mexican-origin adult men in Mexico and the United States (US). Materials and methods. We used the 2001-06 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2006 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey. Results. The prevalence of overweight or obesity (OO) in Mexicans was 65% and in Mexican-Americans was 72%. OO Mexican-American men were more likely than OO Mexican men (56 vs. 49%) to perceive themselves as "overweight". Among OO men from both populations, those who had been screened for OO by a health provider were almost seven times more likely to have accurate weight perceptions. Only 9% of OO men in Mexico and 25% in the US recalled having been screened for weight. Conclusion. Weight misperceptions were common in both populations but more prevalent in Mexico; low screening by providers may contribute to poor weight control in both countries.

Keywords : overweight; obesity; BMI; weight; perceptions; Mexican-American.

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