Differences in Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors and Depression in Korean Adult Women: The Roles of Body Mass Index and Body Weight Perception

Dong-Sik Kim, Seoul National University
Youngtae Cho, Seoul National University
Sung-Il Cho, Seoul National University

This study examined the associations of body mass index (BMI) and body weight perception (BWP) with unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs) and depression among 8,581 Korean women aged 20-64 years who completed the 2001 Seoul Citizens Health Indicator Survey. We found that BWP partially functions as a mediate between BMI and UWCBs and between BMI and depression. Women with both extreme BMI and BWP are at greatest and lowest risk of UWCBs. Contrary to UWCBs, women having actually overweight while perceiving themselves to be obese are at greatest depression, while women whose BMI and BWP are all normal are at lowest of depression. Particularly, having either underestimation or overestimation of body weight predicts the likelihood and extent of UWCBs and depression, regardless of BMI. Further, women with lower BMI are more likely to rely on BWP than those with higher BMI if they are exposed to UWCBs and depression.