{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T14:56:38Z","timestamp":1791212198437,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Pan American Health Organization","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"abstract":"<title>ABSTRACT<\/title>\n                  <sec>\n                    <title>Objective:<\/title>\n                    <p>This study estimates the prevalence of weight misperception among Costa Rican adolescents in general and examines its association with body esteem and weight-control behaviors to inform public health policy.<\/p>\n                  <\/sec>\n                  <sec>\n                    <title>Methods:<\/title>\n                    <p>The authors analyzed cross-sectional data collected in 2017 from a probabilistic sample of 818 adolescents aged 13\u201318 years enrolled in public and private secondary schools in urban and rural areas of the province of San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica. Weight and height were measured by trained nutritionists and classified using World Health Organization body mass index (BMI)-for-age standards. Perceived weight status was assessed using culturally appropriate response categories adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and refined through a pilot study. Body esteem and weight-control behaviors were measured using validated survey instruments.<\/p>\n                  <\/sec>\n                  <sec>\n                    <title>Results:<\/title>\n                    <p>Among adolescents with overweight or obesity, 59% underestimated their weight, most commonly perceiving themselves as having an \u201cadequate weight.\u201d Weight underestimation was associated with higher body esteem and lower engagement in weight-control behaviors after adjustment for key sociodemographic characteristics<\/p>\n                  <\/sec>\n                  <sec>\n                    <title>Conclusion:<\/title>\n                    <p>By contributing evidence from a Latin American context\u2014where research on adolescent weight perception remains scarce\u2014this study enhances understanding of how excess weight is perceived during adolescence in settings where overweight is highly prevalent and supports public policy approaches that prioritize healthy eating and active living from adolescence.<\/p>\n                  <\/sec>","DOI":"10.26633\/rpsp.2026.80","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T14:33:01Z","timestamp":1791210781000},"page":"1","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Body weight perception and body self-esteem in adolescents with overweight or obesity in Costa Rica: challenges for public health policy"],"prefix":"10.26633","volume":"50","author":[{"given":"Rafael","family":"Monge-Rojas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition and Health Unit, Costa Rican Institute for Research and Education on Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA), Ministry of Health, Tres R\u00edos 4-2250, Costa Rica."},{"name":"rmonge@inciensa.sa.cr"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Smith-Castro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Psychological Research Institute, University of Costa Rica, City of Research, Montes de Oca 11501-2060, Costa Rica."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rulam\u00e1n","family":"Vargas-Quesada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition and Health Unit, Costa Rican Institute for Research and Education on Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA), Ministry of Health, Tres R\u00edos 4-2250, Costa Rica."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"11167","reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kerr JA, Patton GC, Cini KI, Abate YH, Abbas N, Abd Al Magied AHA, et al. 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