Associations between weight status, body satisfaction, ethnic identity and self‐esteem in Oceanian adolescents

Abstract

Summary Background Self‐esteem has consistently been observed to be relatively low in adolescents with obesity. In the Pacific region, the prevalence of obesity in adolescence is high, but few studies have considered issues of self‐esteem in this population. Objective To examine associations between weight status, body dissatisfaction and self‐esteem in a sample of New Caledonian adolescents and to test for moderation effects of ethnicity on predictors of self‐esteem. Methods Objective anthropometric measures (height, weight, waist circumference and thickness of skinfolds) were obtained in a multi‐ethnic sample of New Caledonian adolescents. Body mass index (BMI), waist‐to‐height ratio and the sum of four skinfolds thickness were used as proxies of weight status. Indices of ethnic identity, self‐esteem, socio‐demographic data (socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, urbanicity of residence) and body dissatisfaction were obtained using survey methods. Results Between‐group analyses indicated that adolescents of European/white origin had significantly higher self‐esteem than adolescents with Oceanian Non‐European Non‐Asian ancestry (ONENA). However, low self‐esteem was significantly associated with weight status and body dissatisfactions in European/white adolescents but not ONENA adolescents. Ethnicity moderated the relationships of predictors (BMI z‐score, body dissatisfaction, age, urbanicity and ethnic identity) on self‐esteem, and the strongest predictors of self‐esteem were ethnicity and ethnic identity. Conclusions While self‐esteem has important consequences for adolescent well‐being and health outcomes, these results highlight the importance of applying different steps to develop and maintain healthy self‐esteem in the Pacific region.

An examination of procrastination in a multi-ethnic population of adolescents from New Caledonia

“…In its parent form [ 45 ] and in a range of national groups [ 49 ], MEIM-R scores have been found to consist of two factors indexing exploration of, and commitment towards, one’s ethnic group. However, among New Caledonian adolescents, MEIM-R scores have been found to reduce to a single dimension consisting of all 6 items [ 42 ]. We, therefore, computed an overall score as the mean of all 6 items, with higher scores reflecting greater affiliation with one’s ethnic group.…”

“…We, therefore, computed an overall score as the mean of all 6 items, with higher scores reflecting greater affiliation with one’s ethnic group. Frayon and colleagues [ 42 ] reported that the MEIM-R had adequate composite reliability. In the present study, McDonald’s omega scores was 0.74 (95% CI 0.70, 0.78).…”

“…Socioeconomic status (SES) and area of residence were determined as previously described by Frayon and colleagues [ 42 ]. Briefly, SES was indexed on the basis of the occupation of the household reference person (defined as the householder with the highest income) and three categories were retained: managerial and professional occupations (higher SES), intermediate occupations (intermediate SES), and routine and manual occupations (lower SES).…”

“…Second, any relationship between ethnicity and procrastination may be complicated by ethnic identity [ 41 ]. For instance, one previous study with New Caledonian adolescents reported that more positive ethnic identity was significantly associated higher self-esteem across ethnic groups [ 42 ]. In the present case, therefore, we considered the extent to which ethnicity and ethnic identity both in isolation and interactively were associated with procrastination.…”

Apakah Body Image Berperan Terhadap Self-Esteem? Studi Pada Mahasiswi UIN Suska Riau

“…Coopersmith (1967) menyatakan bahwa salah satu landasan utama dalam self-value (salah satu aspek harga diri) yaitu apabila seseorang memiliki pandangan bahwa dirinya berharga dan penting. Self-esteem rendah juga dapat menyebabkan hambatan pada manajemen berat badan dan kegagalan untuk mengontrol berat badan (Frayon et al, 2021), maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa hal ini memiliki hubungan satu sama lain.…”