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Cited by 129Obesity, Physical Activity, DietCancer Risks and FactorsHealth and Lifestyle Studies

Relationships between body mass index and well-being in young Australian women

Brown, WJ, Mishra, G, Kenardy, J, Dobson, A·2000·International Journal of Obesity
DOI 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801384
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Abstract

Objective To explore relationships between body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and indicators of health and well-being in young Australian women.Design Population based cohort study--baseline cross sectional data.Subjects 14,779 women aged 18-23 who participated in the baseline survey of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health in 1996.Measurements Self-reported height, weight, medical conditions, symptoms and SF-36.Results The majority of women (68%) had a BMI in the range 18.5- <25; 12% had a BMI <18.5; 14% had a BMI in the range 25- <30 and 6% had a BMI > or =30. After adjustment for area of residence, age, education, smoking and exercise, women in the highest BMI category (> or =30) were more likely to report hypertension, asthma, headaches, back pain, sleeping difficulties, irregular periods, and more visits to their medical practitioner. They were also more likely to have given birth at least once, and less likely to report 'low iron'. Women with low BMI (<18.5) were more likely to report irregular periods and 'low iron'. Mean scores on the SF-36 sub-scales for physical functioning, general health and vitality were highest for women with BMI in the range 18.5-25.Conclusion Acknowledging the limits of the cross-sectional nature of the data, the results show that the deleterious effects of overweight can be seen at a comparatively young age, and that BMI <25 is associated with fewer indicators of morbidity in young women. However, as BMI <18.5 is associated with low iron and irregular periods, care should be taken when developing strategies to prevent overweight in young women, not to encourage women with healthy weight to strive for a lower BMI.

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1 of the 24 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services . Nutrition and your health: dietary guidelines for Americans, 3rd ed (Home and garden bulletin no. 232) US Department of Agriculture: Washington DC 1990.
  2. National Health and Medical Research Council . Report of the one hundredth session Australián Government Publishing Service: Canberra 1985.
  3. Villena-Heinsen C, Luxner K, Friedrich M, Quijano F, Schmidt W . Schwangerschafts- und Geburtsverlauf bei untergewichtigen Schwangeren Z Geburtshilfe Neonato 1998 202: 115–120.
  4. Robinovich JT, Rubio EL, Saez JC, Ramirez MI . Influencia del peso corporal en el embarazo y resultado perinatal Rev Chile Obstet Ginecol 1995 6: 151–167.
  5. Department of Primary Industries and Energy and Department of Human Services and Health . Rural, remote and metropolitan areas classification: 1991 Census edition Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra 1994.
  6. Goroll AH, May LA, Mulley AG . Hematology. In Winters R (ed). Primary Care Medicine, 3rd edn. JB Lippincott: Philadelphia, AA 1995, pp 444–445.
  7. Patterson AJ . Iron deficiency in Australian women: development, implications and treatment. PhD thesis University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia 1999.
  8. Young AF . General practitioner utilisation among women in Australia. PhD thesis, 1999 University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

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Authors
Brown, W., Mishra, G., Kenardy, J., & Dobson, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Obesity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2000-10
Volume
24
Issue
10
Pages
1360-1368
ISSN
  • 0307-0565 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-5497
DOI
10.1038/sj.ijo.0801384
OpenAlex
W2038821344
Cited by
128
References
24
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
FWCI
3.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • International Journal of Obesity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Risks and Factors
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Lifestyle Studies
Keywords
body mass index, overweight, underweight, young women, well-being, health-related quality of life, SF-36, hypertension, asthma, back pain, sleep disorders, menstrual irregularity, physical function, Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Australia, Cross-Sectional Studies, Educational Status, Female, Health Status, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Obesity, Surveys and Questionnaires, Socioeconomic Factors, Cohort Studies, Body Mass Index

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