Weight self-perception and weight loss attempts in Chinese cardiovascular patients and non-cardiovascular patients: evidence from a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Weight loss is a significant improvement for individuals with overweight or obesity, especially for cardiovascular patients. The driving effects of weight self-perception and attempts to lose weight are vital in weight management, yet weight misperception is a direct culprit for the undesirability of weight control and obesity prevention. This study aimed to investigate weight self-perception and misperception and weight loss attempts in Chinese adults, especially among cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular patients. METHODS: We collected data from China HeartRescue Global Evaluation Baseline Household Survey 2015. Questionnaires were used to assess self-reported weight and cardiovascular patients. We used kappa statistics to check the consistency between weight self-perception and BMI. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify risk factors associated with weight misperception. RESULTS: A total of 2690 participants were enrolled in the household survey, while 157 respondents were cardiovascular patients. According to questionnaire results, 43.3% of cardiovascular patients thought they were overweight and obese, while the percentage is 35.3% among non-cardiovascular patients. Kappa statistics indicated higher consistency of self-reported weight and actual weight among cardiovascular patients. Multivariate analysis showed weight misperception was significantly associated with gender, education level, and actual BMI. Lastly, 34.5% of non-cardiovascular patients and 35.0% of cardiovascular patients were trying to lose weight or keep weight. The majority of these people adopted combined strategies of controlling diet and exercise to lose or maintain weight. CONCLUSIONS: Weight misperception was highly prevalent among cardiovascular or non-cardiovascular patients. Obese respondents, women, and individuals with lower education levels were more vulnerable to make weight misperception. However, no difference in the purpose of weight loss attempts was indicated among cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular patients.