Young teenagers’ perceptions of their own and others’ bodies: A qualitative study of obese, overweight and ‘normal’ weight young people in Scotland

摘要: The rise in numbers of overweight/obese children the UK is causing widespread concern. Biomedical constructions body acceptability and 'good health' mean that young people are frequently seen as deviant. socio-cultural contexts within which teenagers become fat, lay conceptualisations fatness, have largely been ignored. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with aged 13-14 years (n = 36), drawn from families living areas classified socio-economically disadvantaged. Half sample had a Body Mass Index (BMI) classifying them overweight or obese, whilst remainder were being 'normal' weight. Participants' embodied perceptions fatness complex sometimes contradictory. We discuss what perceive influences on size to be; professed consequences fat; participants' experiences attempting lose weight; and, their reported interactions friends family relating dieting. Participants rarely mentioned any health-related own others' although wearing 'nice' clothes slowed down raised considerations by girls boys, respectively. 'Normal' weight who disliked bodies wanted often claimed be anxious about this. Being very obese also led anxiety attempts at 'crash dieting'. Acceptance size/shape was, however, common amongst teenagers, some attempted loss. this supportive disagreed fatness. These findings important they contradict perception related dissatisfaction fear