Examining the Effects of Parental Combat Deployment on the Body Mass Index and Eating Behaviors and Attitudes of Adolescent Female Military Dependents
Abstract
Studies have demonstrated the psychological and emotional impact of parental combat deployments on military child dependents (Acion, Ramirez, Jorge, and Arndt, 2013; Flake, Davis, Johnson, and Middleton, 2009). However, the effect of these deployments on the weight status and eating behaviors and attitudes of the military child population remains unexplored. Adolescent female military dependents (N = 81) and their parents (N = 68) who received medical care from the Family Medicine Clinic at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital voluntarily completed questionnaires assessing their weight status and eating behaviors and attitudes (e.g., binge/loss of control eating, idealization of the thin-ideal).More than half of the adolescents (56%) experienced at least one parental combat deployment. The mean BMI of adolescents was 22.6 4.9, their mean age was 14.2 1.6y, and most were Caucasian (67%). A majority of the parents who participated in the study (respondent parents) were mothers (88.2%). The mean BMI of the parents was in the overweight range (26.91 5.09) and most were married (85.9%) and Caucasian (73.2%). Parental combat deployment was associated with emotional eating and thin ideal internalization. Adolescent psychological functioning mediated the relationship between parental combat deployment and adolescent BMI-z, among participants who had experienced at least one parental combat deployment. Implications for primary care providers and future research are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 13, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1036444
Entities
People
- Edny J. Bryant
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences