An interesting study by the University of Pittsburgh published in the November issue of Pediatrics found a link between teen girls' body weight (actual and perceived) and their likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors. These included having intercourse before turning 13, having sex with more than four partners, consuming alcohol in connection with sex, and having unprotected sex. The study surveyed 7,200 high school girls, with half reporting that they had ever had sex.
Some key points:
- Caucasian girls who believed they were underweight were more likely to have had sex and to have had four or more sexual partners than girls who considered themselves at a normal weight.
- Caucasian girls who were actually overweight were less likely to use condoms.
- African-American girls who were underweight were less likely to use condoms than those of normal weight, and overweight African-American girls were more likely to report four or more sexual partners.
- Latina girls of all weights were more likely to engage in a wide variety of risky sexual behaviors, from lack of condom use and sex before age 13 to having more than four sexual partners during their teens and using alcohol.
Low self-esteem has long gone hand in hand with weight and body issues, but the news here is that the actual weight of these young women isn't at issue: it's their perceived weight. Clearly, the BMI is not a reliable guide in determining a teen's "healthy weight," when "healthy" refers to the mental and not the physical. "Our data suggest that knowing how a girl perceives her weight may be as important as knowing her actual weight," said Aletha Akers, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and one of the doctors who conducted the study.
This is another instance of science bearing out common sense; of course how a girl feels about herself is just as important as what the scale says -- in fact, the two are often inextricably linked. Dr. Akers contends that "This study will contribute to sexual health education prevention efforts, which can be tailored to address how cultural norms regarding body size may influence adolescent sexual decision making." Which would be great -- anything that can assist in better tailoring curricula for the students to whom it's being taught is a step forward. But we need to think a little more deeply...sex education shouldn't just come from schools.
Judy Berman at Salon.com put it best: "But I think it's also important to point out that not all sex education happens in school. If we want girls to feel good enough about themselves that they wait until they're ready, practice safe sex and avoid other risky behaviors, we're also going to have to help them interpret the messages they're getting from more informal sources -- from friends and siblings to magazine and TV."
Indeed. Check out our friends at RespectRX for more information on healthy bodies, healthy minds, and how to help young people learn to love themselves.
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