Weight loss doesn't necessarily lead to a boost in obese teenage girls' self-esteem, according to a new study.
"We found that obese black and white teenage girls who transitioned out of obesity continued to see themselves as fat, despite changes in their relative body mass," study author Sarah Mustillo, an associate professor of sociology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., said in a university news release.
"Obese white girls had lower self-esteem than their normal-weight peers and their self-esteem remained flat even as they transitioned out of obesity," added Mustillo, who studies obesity in childhood and adolescence.
Researchers noted that the study did not prove that girls' self-esteem remained low because they continued to see themselves as overweight, Mustillo said. There could be other explanations for the girls' continuing low self-esteem in adolescence.
The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Source: U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/04/03/for-many-girls-slimming-down-doesnt-help-self-esteem
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