Associations of gender and parental factors with adolescent obesity awareness: a cross-sectional study

Purpose Childhood obesity, the incidence of which is increasing day by day, is a significant public health problem. Noncommunicable diseases increase with the increase in obesity. On the other hand, obesity awareness levels in children gain importance in the fight against obesity by contributing to a change in behavior. This study aimed to examine the level of obesity awareness in adolescents and identify its associated factors. Design/methodology/approach The study included 372 adolescents aged 10–14 years. The energy and nutrient intakes of the adolescents were recorded by the 24-h recall method. Obesity awareness status was obtained using the Obesity Awareness Scale (OAS). Findings It was determined that 40.6% of the participants were overweight or obese, and this rate was 36.1 and 46.1% for females and males, respectively (p = 0.092). Obesity and physical activity awareness scores and general scores of female adolescents were found to be significantly higher than those of male adolescents (p < 0.05), except for the nutrition sub-factor (p = 0.314). In multivariate linear regression analysis, maternal employment status (ß = −1.578, p = 0.045) and gender (ß = 2.066, p = 0.011) were variables significantly associated with obesity awareness. Originality/value Increasing obesity awareness is critical in the fight against obesity in childhood and adolescence. Our results indicate that maternal factors and gender show significant associations with adolescents’ obesity awareness. Parents have a significant role in the fight against obesity, and their education level should be increased; awareness projects should be implemented.