Body satisfaction and body weight: gender differences and sociodemographic determinants

S Bryn Austin,Jess Haines,Paul J Veugelers

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-313

Abstract

BackgroundGiven the documented links between body satisfaction, weight-related behaviors, and weight change in adolescents, we sought to examine the prevalence of poor body satisfaction in prepubescent girls and boys and its associations with body weight, socioeconomic factors, and rural residence.MethodsWe obtained data from 4254 girls and boys participating in a population-based survey of grade five students in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. We examined gender specific associations between the prevalence of poor body satisfaction and body mass index (BMI) with generalized additive models and applied multilevel logistic regression methods to estimate associations of body satisfaction with BMI, rural residence, parental education and income, and neighborhood household income.ResultsWe observed a linear increase in poor body satisfaction with increasing BMI in girls. Among boys, however, we found a U-shape association where boys with low BMI and those with high BMI reported higher levels of poor body satisfaction. We also found that poor body satisfaction was more prevalent among girls whose parents had lower educational attainment and among those who reside in rural areas.ConclusionInsight into the unique relationships between body satisfaction and BMI experienced by prepubescent children, males, and populations diverse in parental education and geographic location may help to inform public health initiatives designed to improve weight-related behaviors and reduce overweight in children.

Highlights

Given the documented links between body satisfaction, weight-related behaviors, and weight change in adolescents, we sought to examine the prevalence of poor body satisfaction in prepubescent girls and boys and its associations with body weight, socioeconomic factors, and rural residence
We found that poor body satisfaction was more prevalent among girls whose parents had lower educational attainment and among those who reside in rural areas
Our finding that girls who reside in rural areas, controlling for body mass index (BMI), are more likely than urban girls to report poor body satisfaction may suggest that body or appearance-related pressures are higher within rural areas or perhaps that girls in urban areas benefit from existing community, school, or other programs that may protect against decrements in body satisfaction

Summary

Introduction

Given the documented links between body satisfaction, weight-related behaviors, and weight change in adolescents, we sought to examine the prevalence of poor body satisfaction in prepubescent girls and boys and its associations with body weight, socioeconomic factors, and rural residence. Beyond its links with eating disorder symptoms, body satisfaction has captured the attention of researchers and interventionists because of its potential role in efforts to prevent childhood overweight and promote healthful nutrition and physical activity. In Project EAT, a community-based, observational cohort of over 2500 girls and boys first enrolled in the study when in junior and senior high school, Neumark-Sztainer et al found greater body satisfaction at baseline was associated with more healthful dietary and physical activity behavior at follow-up five years later, when participants were in late adolescence and young adulthood [4]. Haines et al found that in both girls and boys, those with greater body satisfaction at baseline were less likely to be overweight at follow-up five years later [6]. Analyzing Project EAT data from the subset of 376 girls who were already overweight at baseline, van den Berg et al found that higher body satisfaction at baseline predicted less weight gain over five years of follow-up [7]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion