Unhealthy weight control behaviors and its determinants among female adolescents in Hawassa city, Sidama region, Ethiopia, 2023: school based study.

Background: The desire to control personal weight status is ever-increasing among adolescents to achieve societal desirability for thinness across developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to estimate the magnitude of unhealthy weight control behaviors and determinants among female adolescents.

Method: School based cross sectional study was conducted among 526 randomly selected female adolescent students using self-administered questionnaire. Unhealthy weight control behaviors, Body Mass Index-for-age, perceived weight status, depression symptoms and body part satisfaction were assessed. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze data and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure strength of association.

Result: The overall prevalence of unhealthy weight control behaviors among female high school adolescent is 38% (95% CI: 34.0%, 42.0%). Perceived weight status (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.16-2.84), BMI for age (AOR = 3.38; 95% CI = 1.85-6.17), level of depression; mild depression (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.18-2.77) and moderate (AOR = 2.68; 95% CI = 1.11-6.47), weight related teasing (AOR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.11-2.57)., and use social media (AOR = 3.04; 95% CI = 1.60-5.77) were remained associated factors of UWCBs among female adolescent students.

Conclusion: The current study has shown that more than one in three female adolescents was engaged in UWCBs. Therefore, school-based awareness creation by establishing clubs which promote healthy lifestyle should be given due emphasis. Such intervention should consider factors like; weight perception, depressive mood, weight related teasing, and social media use.