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Weight Management Behaviors Among Mexican American Youth: Cross-Sectional Variation by Timing of Growth and Maturation

Purpose: To assess the association between growth and maturation with weight management behaviors (WMBs) among Mexican American youth. Design: A cross-sectional design was used to measure timing of growth and maturation as well as WMBs. Sample: Students were recruited through physical education classes in south Texas schools. The sample included 623 participants (52.3% female; 49.8% with weight ≥85th percentile) in grades 4 through 12. Students in middle school were purposely oversampled to examine questions around timing of growth and maturation. Measures: Growth was measured as maturity offset, an estimate of age at peak height velocity (PHV). Maturity offset is derived from chronological age, height, and sitting height measurements. Participants were classified as pre-PHV or post-PHV. Girls also were categorized as premenarche or early, average, or late maturing based on age at menarche. Weight was measured to calculate body mass index (BMI) percentile. Weight management behavior and timing of menarche were self-reported via a survey. Analysis: Descriptive characteristics were calculated for boys and girls separately. χ2 Tests of proportion were used to test WMB by BMI percentile. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the likelihood of engaging in WMB by maturity offset and, for girls, timing of menarche. Results: Students with weight ≥85th percentile were more likely to describe themselves as overweight and report trying to lose weight through exercise or calorie restriction (P < .0001). A 1-year increase in maturity offset was associated with youth being 31% more likely to perceive themselves as overweight but less likely to report calorie restriction (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87). Average maturing girls were more likely than premenarcheal girls to exercise, restrict calories, or fast to lose weight (OR = 3.27, 2.11, and 3.27, respectively). Conclusion: Mexican American youth are engaging in WMB, even when their weight status is <85th percentile. The appropriateness of weight management counseling may need to consider a child’s stage of growth.