Motivations for engaging in or avoiding conversations about weight: Adolescent and parent perspectives

Background: Little is known about parent and adolescent motivations for engaging in weight communication. Objectives: To assess parent and adolescent motivations for engaging in, or avoiding, weight communication, and whether these reasons differed across sex, race/ethnicity, weight, and engagement in weight management. Methods: Independent samples of parents (N = 1936) and unrelated adolescents (N = 2032) completed questionnaires assessing their agreement with different reasons they engage in, or avoid, parent-adolescent weight communication, using 7-point Likert scales (strongly-disagree to strongly-agree). Results: Parents, irrespective of sex, race/ethnicity, and child's weight status, expressed stronger motivations for engaging in weight communication in order for their child to feel good about his/her weight and body size compared to being motivated because a health professional raised their child's weight as a concern. Adolescent motivations for weight communication with parents stemmed from health concerns and worry about their weight; avoidance stemmed from feeling embarrassed, upset, or not wanting to obsess about weight. Differences emerged across sex and race/ethnicity but were most pronounced by weight status and weight management. Conclusion: Parents and adolescents have different motivations for engaging in or avoiding weight communication. Protecting adolescents' emotional wellbeing and body esteem are viewed as reasons for both engaging in or avoiding weight communication.