Perceived Body Image and Actual Anthropometric Indices in Eating Disorders

Abstract

A disturbed body image is a main characteristic of patients with eating disorders and plays an important role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. The construct of body image comprises two different components: an attitudinal and a perceptual component both of which need to be taken into consideration when body image distortions are addressed in research and in clinical settings. Attitudinal body image covers a global subjective, an affective, a cognitive, and a behavioral dimension. Mainly questionnaire instruments have been developed to assess body image attitudes. Distortions in body image perception are assessed by measuring discrepancies between actual, perceived and ideal body images. Again, a number of different methods are available in this context. Discrepancy calculations must be based on adequate anthropometric indices. They vary according to the body image assessment method. Traditional methods apply body calipers for measuring body width at specific body sites to compare these measurements with how subjects model their perceived body image. The same principle is applied when subjects are asked to morph their perceived and ideal body images on video or computer screens. Researchers or clinicians are then able to compare the results with actual images captured through video or digital photographs. These methods are basically unidimensional. In recent years more sophisticated multidimensional methods have been developed. They require more elaborate anthropometric techniques such as an assessment of body composition to depict distributions of body fat and muscularity. Both skinfold thickness and measurement of bioimpedance analysis have proven reliable methodologies in this context. An assessment of body movement patterns is needed to describe a dynamic body image. Perceived body image and actual anthropometric indices in eating disorders.