BackgroundThe current literature on determinants of behavior change in weight management lacks sufficient studies on type of motivation among children/adolescents, on perceived competence, and in relation to healthy eating. This study aimed to investigate type of motivation and levels of perceived competence for healthy diet and exercise, as well as general self efficacy among adolescents. We hypothesized that overweight/obese adolescents would demonstrate lower autonomous motivation and perceived competence regarding diet and exercise, and lower self-efficacy in general, and that the scores would be influenced by socioeconomic factors.MethodsNormal weight (n = 40, body mass index < 85% for age and gender) and overweight or obese adolescents (n = 60, body mass index ≥ 85% for age and gender) aged 13-18 years were recruited from pediatric ambulatory clinics. Information was collected about demographics, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle behaviors. The study subjects completed a survey including the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ) and the Perceived Competence Scale (PCS) for healthy eating and exercise, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Composite scores for the three scales were compared between the two groups using the using the two-sample t-test (for normal data) or the Mann-Whitney U test (for non-parametric data). Relationships between the composite scores and patient characteristics were determined using Pearson or Spearman’s correlations.ResultsThe average age of the total cohort was 15.9 ± 1.9 years. 54% were female, and 82% identified as Latino/Hispanic. In comparison to normal weight subjects, overweight/obese adolescents exhibited higher scores for controlled motivation (mean ± standard deviation 28.3 ± 9.3 vs 18.1 ± 8.1) and higher perceived competence [median and 25-75% interquartile range 22.5 (19.0-26.0) vs 20.0 (15.5-25.0)] in relation to eating a healthy diet. These differences persisted after adjustment for age, sex, paternal education, and family income.ConclusionsOverweight/obese adolescents did not lack autonomous motivation but demonstrated higher controlled motivation and perceived competence for healthy eating in comparison to normal weight adolescents, independent of socioeconomic factors. In the clinical practice of weight management, providers should carefully assess adolescents for type of motivation and perceived competence, while accounting for potential barriers to behavior change.

Background: The prevalence of both obesity and asthma has risen in recent years. We sought to investigate whether obesity may be related to asthma. Materials and methods: In this analytical study, 177 patients with asthma were enrolled. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. Asthma severity was defined by using the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 1997 guidelines. Results: Of the 177 patients, there were 80 males and 97 females. 38.4 percent of the sample was obese. There is no significant relationship between BMI and asthma severity (P=0.76) but as established by Pearsons correlation coefficient a positive and significant correlation is present between BMI and FEV1/FVC values (r=0.32 P=0.0001). Females with asthma were significantly more overweight than males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: In our study, there was a significant correlation between body mass index and sex of patients with asthma. Women had the highest percentages of asthma compared to men, and had a higher body mass index than men.