Study Analyzes Adolescents' Reactions to Weight-related Terms Used by their Parents

Conversations about weight can be particularly challenging for parents with adolescent kids, and insight into the characteristics of parent-adolescent communication about body weight is limited. Published in Childhood Obesity, this study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity interviewed 148 adolescents enrolled in a weight loss camp, asking them what words their parents typically use to talk about their weight, how those words make them feel, and what words they would most want their family to use when talking about their weight. Parents use a diverse range of words to describe their adolescent’s weight; some adolescents shared that words, like “heavy”, “large”, and “big” induced feelings of embarrassment and shame.