The moderating effect of gender on the relationships between obesity, well-being, and stress perception in Korean adolescents

Background: Children and adolescents with obesity are more likely to become adults with obesity. Therefore, obesity prevention in adolescence is essential for eliminating complications associated with obesity, which can affect health throughout the lifespan. This study examined the influences of adolescents’ obesity based on BMI and that of obesity based on adolescents’ perception of their well-being and stress, as well as the moderating effect of gender on these influences. Methods: Data were analyzed for 61,861 adolescents aged 12–18, who participated in the 2019 Korean Adolescent Health Behavior Survey, an online self-administered questionnaire. Adolescents’ obesity based on perception was based on their self-rating as underweight, healthy weight, or obese. Chi-squared tests were used to determine whether well-being and stress perception were related to obesity based on BMI and obesity based on perception, and a general linear model was used to examine the main and interaction effects of obesity based on BMI, obesity based on perception, and gender on well-being and stress perception. Results: Obesity based on BMI and obesity based on perception coincided in 58.7% of the sample. However, the degree of obesity was overestimated and underestimated by 19.2 and 24.3% of the sample, respectively. Obesity based on BMI and obesity based on perception varied by gender, age, economic status, and academic achievement. The main effect of obesity based on BMI was not statistically significant on both well-being and stress perception, and only the main effect of obesity based on perception was statistically significant on stress perception. The interaction between obesity based on perception and gender was significant for well-being and stress perception. Herein, males scored higher on well-being and lower on stress perception. However, the association patterns were similar for males and females, with significant differences between underweight, healthy weight, and overweight/obese; however, for only females, there was no difference in well-being scores between underweight and those who perceived themselves as having a healthy weight. Conclusion: The well-being and stress perception are influenced by obesity based on perception rather than obesity based on BMI, and this influence varies according to gender in adolescents.