Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39460475›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association2025

Weight status underestimation and weight management goals among adults in the rural South of the United States.

Haakim A Waraich, Michael D Wirth, Serge Wandji, Janessa M Graves, Demetrius A Abshire

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Weight status underestimation and weight management goals among adults in the rural South of the United States.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Haakim A WaraichUniversity of South Carolina Honors College, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Michael D WirthDepartment of Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science, University of South Carolina College of Nursing, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Serge WandjiDepartment of Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science, University of South Carolina College of Nursing, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Janessa M GravesWashington State University College of Nursing, Spokane, Washington, USA.
Demetrius A AbshireDepartment of Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science, University of South Carolina College of Nursing, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4234-128X

Funding

Research Mentoring and Building Capacity of underrepresented Minority Research Scientists in India.D43TW010540 · FIC · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI MICHELE BARRY, Eva Harris · 2017 to 2026
$15.5M
Developing a Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Body Weight for Obese African American Men Living in the Rural SouthK23MD013899 · NIMHD · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · PI ABSHIRE, DEMETRIUS · 2019 to 2023
$739k
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW010540Global Health Equity Scholars Program D43TW010540NIH HHS K23MD013899NIMHD NIH HHS K23 MD013899SAMHSA HHS 5H79SM080386-05
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo examine factors associated with weight status underestimation and the relationship between weight status underestimation and weight loss as a weight management goal among adults living in the rural South.

methodsAn anonymous survey was distributed at six primary care clinics and two churches in rural, South Carolina counties. Weight status underestimation was determined based on the difference between perceived weight status using standard body mass index (BMI) categories (underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese) and BMI category from self-reported height and weight. Participants reported whether their weight management goal was to lose, maintain, or gain weight. Chi-square and binary logistic regressions were used for data analysis.

findingsA total of 185 respondents (76% female) at least partially completed the survey. Nearly 60% underestimated their weight status. Increasing BMI was associated with higher odds of weight status underestimation (OR: 1.10, 95%: 1.04, 1.15) and perceptions of being in fair or poor health was associated with lower odds of weight status underestimation relative to perceiving health as good or better (OR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.66). Among those with overweight and obesity, the association between underestimating weight status and having weight loss as a weight management goal was strong but not statistically significant (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.04).

conclusionsUnderestimating weight status was common among adults in the rural US South and was related to BMI and health status. Research is needed to determine if improving the accuracy of weight perceptions can promote weight management in the rural South.

Indexed as

Body ImageBody WeightRural PopulationAdultAgedBody Mass IndexFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedObesitySouth CarolinaSurveys and QuestionnairesWeight Lossobesityoverweightperceptionsruralweight status

Identifiers

PMID39460475
PMCPMC11950421

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.