Association between Weight-teasing and Physical Activity in Adolescents

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine the association between weight-teasing and physical activity in students from public schools of Curitiba, Paraná (Southern Brazil). METHODS The sample consisted of 95 students (48 boys and 47 girls) aged 12 to 14 years old. The Perception of Weight Teasing (POTS) and The Perception of Weight Teasing during Physical Activity Scale assessed the frequency of weight-teasing experienced by the participants. Accelerometers measured physical activity. BMI assessed the weight status of the participants. Pearson correlations analyzed the association between the teasing and physical activity variables at a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS The relationship between teasing variables and physical activity was not significant. A large proportion of participants failed to meet the recommended levels of physical activity regardless of sex (72%), and girls were significantly less physically active than boys (56.3% of boys and 89.4% of girls; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Some participants were targets of weight-teasing, but teasing was not related to physical activity. Interventions are necessary to educate middle school students about the harmful consequences of weight teasing.