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This study aims to assess the students’ stage of change (SOC) for fruits and vegetables (FV) consumption using the 5-a-day and 9-a-day patterns; to validate a tool to measure SOC for consuming 5-a-day and 9-a-day of FV; and to investigate the relationship between SOC for FV consumption and body weight among Jordanian college students.

A cross-sectional study was conducted and included a convenient sample of 788 college students (47.7 per cent men and 52.2 per cent women) who completed validated questionnaires which included socio-demographic data, readiness to consume 5-a-day and 9-a-day servings of FV daily and FV consumption behaviors. Students’ heights and weights were measured. SOC for participants was examined using reparation, contemplation, pre-contemplation, action and maintenance stages.

A majority (69.9 per cent) of college students were in the pre-contemplation stage with regard to 9-a-day behavior. Females tended to be classified in the action stage more than males (P < 0.001). After controlling for age, gender and energy consumption, a significant (P < 0.05) inverse relationship was found between maintenance or action SOC for consuming 9-a-day behavior and body mass index (BMI). A large proportion of college students were in a pre-action stage for either consuming 5-a-day or 9-a-day of FV. Those students who followed the 9-a-day recommendations had significantly (P < 0.05) lower BMI values that those students in the pre-action stages.

The current study is genuine and original, and valuable in designing new strategies in lowering obesity and its comorbidities.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations between adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ and peers’ opinions about body weight and their actual weight status.

A total of 795 Jordanian adolescents, 15-18 years of age, were recruited in this study. Adolescents completed a questionnaire to evaluate their perceptions: about how their parents’ and peers’ viewed their weight, regarding any criticism of their parents and peers about their weight and if their parents compared their weight against their siblings.

The study found that the majority of non-overweight adolescents thought their parents and peers considered them to have a normal weight (94.9 and 94.6 per cent for boys, 76.6 and 85.5 per cent for girls, respectively). For obese girls, 83.4 per cent thought their parents and 91.7 per cent thought their peers perceived them as overweight. The risk of being obese was significantly related to the amount of parental criticism perceived by adolescent girls with OR = 3.9 (95 per cent CI: 1.6-9.4; P = 0.01), while perception of peer criticism showed an increased trend of risk for obesity in boys. Adolescents’ perceptions regarding parental comparisons between their body weights against their siblings’ body weight was found to increase the risk for obesity significantly among girls.

The current study highlights that most of the obese adolescents perceived that their parents and peers underestimated their actual weight status. While obese boys were more likely to report being criticized about their body shape by their peers, obese girls indicated that they received more criticism about their weight from their parents.