Abstract
While numerous studies have investigated body image, including body weight perception, most of which have focused on adolescents or young women, few studies have attempted to evaluate body weight perceptions in adult women according to age groups. This study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of self-perceived weight and actual body mass index (BMI) values among adult Korean women according to age. We used data from the 2016 Korean Study of Women’s Health Related Issues, a population-based, nationwide, cross-sectional survey. BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height. Participants were asked to describe their body image by choosing one of the following descriptions: very underweight, underweight, about right, overweight, or obese. The proportions of women aged 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, and 70–79 years who underestimated their body weight relative to their actual BMI category were 12.6%, 15.1%, 22.2%, 34.0%, 45.6%, and 50.7%, respectively; those who overestimated their body weight comprised 18.7%, 17.8%, 14.3%, 10.8%, and 7.4%. In all BMI categories, the proportion of those who overestimated their weight status increased as age decreased, while those who underestimated their weight status increased as age increased. After adjusting for possible covariates, age was strongly associated with both underestimation and overestimation. The odds ratio for underestimating one’s weight status among women aged 70–79 yeas was 2.96 (95% CI: 2.10–4.18), and that for overestimation was 0.52 (95% CI: 0.35–0.79), compared to women aged 20–29 years. Age is the most important factor associated with weight perceptions among Korean women, affecting both underestimation and overestimation of weight status.
Highlights
Obesity and overweight are emerging health issues worldwide, with global prevalences of 39% and 13%, respectively, in the year 2016 [1, 2]
Mean body mass index (BMI) significantly increased (P < 0.001, Table 2). The prevalence of both underweight and normal BMI categories decreased as age increased; those for the overweight and obese BMI categories increased from 10.9% in women aged 20–29 years to 60% in women aged 70–79 years
The proportion of women who perceived themselves as overweight or obese increased as age increased, from 20.7% in women aged 20–29 years to 44.1% in women aged 70–79 years, indicating that older women, overall, tended to underestimate their body weight relative to their actual BMI category, especially those in the obese category
Summary
Obesity and overweight are emerging health issues worldwide, with global prevalences of 39% and 13%, respectively, in the year 2016 [1, 2]. Obesity stigma appears to arise from a widespread belief that weight is entirely an individual’s responsibility and from a media preference for thinness, especially toward women [12, 13]. Prevalence of obesity tends to be low in young adult women, but high in older women [5, 7]. This trend might be influenced by different motivations toward weight control between age groups and more societal stigma toward obesity in younger women [15, 16]. Younger females appear to be more prominently influenced by an apparent emphasis on being thin in media [3, 18, 19], and being ultra-thin is often considered an ideal body image [20]
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