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Background: Evidence suggests an inverse relationship between excess weight and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents, however little is known about whether this association is moderated by variables such as gender and age. This study aimed to investigate these relationships. Methods: Participants were secondary school students (818 females, 52% and 765 males, 48%) from 23 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. Age ranged from 11.0 to 19.6 years (mean age 14.5 years). The adolescent version of the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) Instrument (AQoL-6D) which is a self-reported measure of adolescent quality of life was administered and anthropometric measures (height and weight) were taken. Assessment of weight status was categorized using the Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: HRQoL was associated with gender and age, but not weight status or socio-economic status; with males and younger adolescents having higher HRQoL scores than their female and older adolescent counterparts (both p < 0.05). There was also a significant interaction of weight status by gender whereby overweight females had poorer HRQoL (-.06 units) relative to healthy weight females (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study contributes to the evidence base around factors associated with adolescent HRQoL and reveals that gender and age are important correlates of HRQoL in an Australian adolescent population. This knowledge is critical to inform the design of health promotion initiatives so they can be tailored to be gender- and age-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To determine which measurement of adiposity - standardised body mass index ( BMI-z), waist circumference or body fat percentage - is most closely correlated with adolescents' weight perception and whether this differs by gender. Methods Weight and height (used to calculate BMI-z), waist circumference and body fat percentage were measured in 2278 adolescents aged between 12 and 16 and compared with self-reported weight status. Results The distribution of subjects across the three weight categories (underweight, healthy weight and overweight) differed significantly between BMI-z, waist circumference and body fat percentage (p < 0.001). BMI-z was most closely aligned with perceived weight status in boys and girls, and waist circumference was also a good correlate of weight perception in boys. Boys were more likely than girls to underestimate their weight when it was defined by BMI-z; however, girls were equally likely to underestimate their weight when it was defined by waist circumference. The majority of adolescents underestimated their weight status when it was defined by BF%. Conclusion BMI-z is the closest correlate of self-perceived weight status. In the absence of internationally accepted reference values for waist circumference, BMI-z is the most appropriate measure to verify weight perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]