Original articleComparison of Overweight, Weight Perception, and Weight-Related Practices Among High School Students in Three Large Chinese Cities and Two Large U.S. Cities
Section snippets
Sample and design
All high schools in these five cities were randomly selected with the probability proportional to school enrollment size without replacement, except Macau, in which all high schools were selected. Each city employed a two-stage cluster sampling design to produce representative samples of high school students. Students in grades nine through 11 were sampled in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei, and those in grades nine through 12 were sampled in New York City and Los Angeles. In the Chinese cities,
Results
Ninety-nine percent of sampled Chinese city students in grade nine through 11 were between the age of 14–18. The mean age was 16.1 (Standard Deviation: 1.2) in Hong Kong, 16.5 (SD: 1.2) in Macau, and 16.1 (SD: .9) in Taipei. Ninety-nine percent of sampled U.S. city students in grade nine through 12 were between the age of 14–18. The mean age was 15.9 (SD: 1.2) in New York City and 15.9 (SD: 1.2) in Los Angeles.
Discussion
This study presented similarities of gender differences in weight perception among high school students in large city schools of China and the U.S., as well as racial/ethnic differences in weight perception. This study also compared the prevalence of overweight among high school students in the selected cities. This study suggests that the proportion of overweight high school students in New York City and Los Angeles was about twice as high as same-age counterparts in Hong Kong, Macau, and
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the following agencies for providing datasets: The Center for Health Education and Health Promotion at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which provided the datasets for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei; the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provided the dataset for Los Angeles; and the Bureau of Epidemiology Services, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which provided the New York
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