Who wants a slimmer body? The relationship between body weight status, education level and body shape dissatisfaction among young adults in Hong Kong

Yee Tak Derek Cheung,Sai Yin Ho,Paul Siu Fai Yip,Tai Hing Lam,Susan Yun Sun Fan,Edmund Tsze Shing Li,Antoinette Marie Lee

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-835

Abstract

BackgroundBody shape dissatisfaction has been thought to have an indispensable impact on weight control behaviors. We investigated the prevalence of body shape dissatisfaction (BSD) and explored its association with weight status, education level and other determinants among young adults in Hong Kong.MethodsInformation on anthropometry, BSD, and socio-demographics was collected from a random sample of 1205 young adults (611 men and 594 women) aged 18-27 in a community-based household survey. BSD was defined as a discrepancy between current and ideal body shape based on a figure rating scale. Cross-tabulations, homogeneity tests and logistic regression models were applied.ResultsThe percentages of underweight men and women were 16.5% and 34.9% respectively, and the corresponding percentages of being overweight or obese were 26.7% and 13.2% for men and women respectively. Three-quarters of young adults had BSD. Among women, 30.9% of those underweight and 75.5% of those with normal weight desired a slimmer body shape. Overweight men and underweight women with lower education level were more likely to have a mismatch between weight status and BSD than those with higher education level. After controlling for other determinants, underweight women were found to have a higher likelihood to maintain their current body shapes than other women. Men were found to be less likely to have a mismatch between weight status and BSD than women.ConclusionsOverweight and obesity in men and underweight in women were prevalent among Hong Kong young adults. Inappropriate body shape desire might predispose individuals to unhealthy weight loss or gain behaviors. Careful consideration of actual weight status in body shape desire is needed in health promotion and education, especially for underweight and normal weight women and those with a low education level.

Highlights

Body shape dissatisfaction has been thought to have an indispensable impact on weight control behaviors
Distribution of actual weight status and body shape dissatisfaction (BSD) Overall, 25.7% of the young adults were classified as underweight, 9.3% were overweight, and 10.7% were obese
Significant sex differences were observed for Body mass index (BMI), current body shape and ideal body shape

Summary

Introduction

Body shape dissatisfaction has been thought to have an indispensable impact on weight control behaviors. We investigated the prevalence of body shape dissatisfaction (BSD) and explored its association with weight status, education level and other determinants among young adults in Hong Kong. BSD is common among women and is reflected in their constant desire for a slimmer body irrespective of their actual body shape [10,11,12]. Young women consider their body weight “about right” when their perceived body size is closer to the cultural ideal [10]. A mismatch between BSD and actual weight status exists when underweight people desire to be thinner or maintain the current body shape. Some reported that East Asian women were more concerned about their facial appearance than body shape and found it easier to attain thinner bodies than Western women do [13], but these findings were not supported by a recent empirical study on Chinese young women [8]

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