Parent-adolescent dyadic associations among weight misperceptions, weight change behaviors, and dietary intakes

Prior research has shown that larger differences between individuals' actual and perceived bodily states are associated with their engagement in weight change behaviors. However, it remains unknown whether these intrapersonal associations extend to the parent-adolescent dyadic level. To address this research gap, the present study examined associations between parents' and adolescents' weight misperceptions (discrepancies between individuals' self-reported body mass indices and perceived weight statuses) relative to participants' own and their dyadic partners' weight change behaviors and dietary intakes. Participants included a large community sample of parent-adolescent dyads (N = 1,606 dyads) who completed the National Cancer Institute's FLASHE Study. Actor-partner interdependence models examined dyadic associations among participants' weight misperceptions (over- and under-perceptions) relative to their own and their dyadic partners' general weight change behaviors (current weight loss and gain behaviors), and low nutrient (e.g., processed foods) and nutrient-dense (e.g., fruits/vegetables) dietary intakes. Multiple intrapersonal and cross-dyad member associations were identified that varied based on the direction of weight misperceptions, the weight control behavior type, and whether the dyadic member was a parent or adolescent. For example, adolescents' weight under-perception was associated with a lower likelihood of their own, but not their parents', current weight loss behavior use, whereas parents who exhibited weight under-perception were less likely to report weight loss behaviors at the intrapersonal level and were less likely to have adolescents who reported weight loss behaviors. These results suggest that associations among weight misperceptions and weight control behaviors within the parent-adolescent dyadic context are complex, and that both inter- and intra-individual processes are implicated in these associations. The impact of these perceptual influences on parent-adolescent dyads' use of both healthy and disordered eating behaviors warrants further exploration in future research.