Table 3.

Worry, weight conversation, and teens’ reactions

Worry and asthma control	“ …you don’t really need to worry … That I might talk with [enough] air, like when I don’t have to take in air” and “really good because … like I won’t be rushing to the hospital.”
	“… don’t want to have to go to the hospital and be hooked up to various breathing machines”
	“…not having to go to the emergency room so often”
	“…no asthma attacks …I’ll be feeling like very good and I don’t have to worry about being sick and being irritated.”
Teens’ views of providers asking about weight	“Honestly, I’m OK with it. Wouldn’t be that big a deal”
	“I wouldn’t feel that bad because they just end to help you and make you more aware of – that you need to, if you do.”
	“Something we need to discuss, would be OK.”
	“I would want them to say something if, like if like my weight is bad or something or if it’s not good, like to say something about it.”
	“comfortable, because they are medical professionals trying to give the best answers to your health”
	“… the doctor is interested in my health and wants me to live longer”
	“ …tend to feel OK about it because I have been told by other people like my mom or the doctor or nurse”
Discomfort with the weight conversation	“…pretty used to it, more embarrassed than surprised.. must be doing something wrong.”
	“I would just have to listen … I knew I could have done better”
	“It is really irritating … all the doctor talks about is my weight”
	“…feel a little disappointed and try to do something. OK with it [conversation]”
	“… stressful, more depressing – it is a big transition” [expressed by teen answering “12” for his need to lose weight]
	“I have struggled with that for a while, feeling kind of self-conscious about it. They didn’t really talk tome in a way that made me feel self-conscious. It was just my personal self about that.”
	“She [provider] can tell a lot by the face that’s nonverbal and actions… You can always tell if a person is ready or not for that conversation. Are they squirming in their seats? I know I used to squirm a lot when I felt uncomfortable…”