CHAPEL HILL, N.C., May 8 (UPI) -- Among U.S. teens, race and gender affect whether self-esteem is linked to body weight, says a study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"We know that for many teenagers, how they feel about their bodies and how they feel about themselves are nearly identical," said lead author Dr. Eliana Miller Perrin, of the UNC School of Medicine.
"We're trying to figure out whether some teenagers separate the two -- body and self. If we can figure that out, we -- as practitioners and parents -- might be able to help teenagers feel better about themselves."
The researchers analyzed data from a survey of 1,000 seventh- and eighth-graders, who answered questions intended to measure their self-perceived attractiveness, self-esteem, depression, desire to lose weight, height and weight, physical activity, athleticism, ethnic identification and media exposure.
The findings were presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in Toronto.
