Advisory Committee Chair
Marti Rice
Advisory Committee Members
Marion Broome
Susan Davies
Barbara Gower
Barbara Habermann
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2007
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Nursing
Abstract
The number of overweight adolescents worldwide has continued to increase over the past several decades. Intervention studies for weight management with overweight adolescents are challenged by high rates of attrition and have failed to achieve sustained outcomes. Hispanic adolescents have a higher risk of being overweight than their African American and White peers do. However, Hispanic overweight adolescents have been poorly represented in intervention studies with overweight adolescents. The factors that influence the Hispanic overweight adolescents’ perceptions of weight and weight loss management are not known. This qualitative study used ground theory methodology to identify the factors that influence perceptions of weight and weight loss management of the Hispanic overweight adolescent and to develop a theory for weight loss interventions from the perceptions of the Hispanic overweight adolescent. Nineteen overweight Hispanic adolescents, 9 males and 10 females, between the ages of 16 and 17 years of age participated in the study. Audio taped structured interviews were used for data collection. Data were analyzed through a comparison process to identify core categories. The core categories representing the cycle of being overweight were identification of difference, family influences, teasing and bullying, anger, depression, avoiding stigma, and failed change efforts. The core variable was the resolution of self, I’m not different, I’m just me. The important influence of teasing and bullying behaviors and family influences are the ii drivers of the cycle of being overweight. Future research with overweight Hispanic adolescents should address both the prevention of early teasing and bullying behaviors in the school setting and the inclusion of family in planned interventions.
Recommended Citation
Stuart, Wilma Powell, "A Grounded Theory Study: Hispanic Adolescents' Experience Of Being Overweight" (2007). All ETDs from UAB. 3810.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/3810
