Body Image In Individuals Research Articles

Friendship Group Influences on Body Dissatisfaction and Dieting Among Adolescent Girls: A Prospective Study

Although some studies among adolescent girls found that friends within friendship groups were rather similar on dieting and/or body image constructs, these studies were limited by their cross-sectional designs. The current prospective study is the first to examine friendship group influences on eating disorder risk factors, including body dissatisfaction, weight concerns, dietary restraint, and dieting in adolescent girls. Design was a two-wave prospective study with 1-year interval. Of 863 girls (mean age = 13.8, SD = .7), 344 were members of one of the 103 reciprocal friendship groups identified using social network analysis. Reciprocal friends were similar with respect to body image and dieting constructs. However, initial friendship group levels of body dissatisfaction, weight concerns, dietary restraint, and dieting did not predict individual body image and dieting variables 1 year later. The current findings attest to the significance of reciprocal friendship group correlates of eating disorder risk factors, but suggest that during early-to-mid-adolescence, levels of body image concerns and dieting within reciprocal friendship groups do not influence adolescents' own body image concerns and dieting over 1 year of time.

Atitudes alimentares e imagem corporal em meninas adolescentes de ascendência nipônica e caucasiana em São Paulo (SP)

Despite investigations into the rapid increase in eating disorders across diverse ethnic groups, conclusions concerning ethnicity and eating disorders are contradictory. The objective of the present study was to investigate eating attitudes in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescents in Brazil. The influence of body mass index (BMI), menarche and social-affective relationships on the development of eating disorders was also assessed.Questionnaires evaluating the incidence of eating disorders and the influence of social-affective relationships were applied to 544 Japanese-Brazilian and Caucasian adolescent girls: 10 to 11-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 122) and Caucasian (n = 176) pre-menarcheal adolescents, and 16 to 17-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 71) and Caucasian (n = 175) post-menarcheal adolescents.Caucasian girls obtained higher scores on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), showed greater body image dissatisfaction, dieted more often and had more diet models introduced by their mothers and peers than the Japanese-Brazilian girls. CONCLUSION The Caucasian adolescents overall appeared to be more sensitive to aesthetic and social pressures regarding body image than the Japanese adolescents. The high incidence of EAT-26 scores above 20 in the Caucasian pre-menarcheal group indicates that individual body image concerns are developing at an earlier age. Multiple logistic regression revealed several associations between mother-teen interactions and the development of abnormal eating attitudes.

Eating attitudes and body image in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescent girls in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

Despite investigations into the rapid increase in eating disorders across diverse ethnic groups, conclusions concerning ethnicity and eating disorders are contradictory. The objective of the present study was to investigate eating attitudes in ethnic Japanese and Caucasian adolescents in Brazil. The influence of body mass index (BMI), menarche and social-affective relationships on the development of eating disorders was also assessed. Questionnaires evaluating the incidence of eating disorders and the influence of social-affective relationships were applied to 544 Japanese-Brazilian and Caucasian adolescent girls: 10 to 11-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 122) and Caucasian (n = 176) pre-menarcheal adolescents, and 16 to 17-year-old Japanese-Brazilian (n = 71) and Caucasian (n = 175) post-menarcheal adolescents. Caucasian girls obtained higher scores on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), showed greater body image dissatisfaction, dieted more often and had more diet models introduced by their mothers and peers than the Japanese-Brazilian girls. CONCLUSION The Caucasian adolescents overall appeared to be more sensitive to aesthetic and social pressures regarding body image than the Japanese adolescents. The high incidence of EAT-26 scores above 20 in the Caucasian pre-menarcheal group indicates that individual body image concerns are developing at an earlier age. Multiple logistic regression revealed several associations between mother-teen interactions and the development of abnormal eating attitudes.

Change in Eating Habits of College Students and Increased Weighted Discrepancy Score Calculated with the Body-Image Ideals Questionnaire

Text: This study assessed the discrepancy between perceived and ideal body image versus its importance in college students (n 236), and identified eating habits, sources of nutrition information, and other factors that might significantly impact individual body image ideals. Methods included administration of the Body-Image Ideals Questionnaire (BIQ), demographics and questions regarding nutrition information sources, changes in weight and eating habits upon entering college, and measurements of body composition using bioelectrical impedance. Weighted discrepancy scores were calculated with the BIQ results. T-tests and ANOVAs identified significantly higher discrepancy scores based upon age, body type, television as a primary nutrition information source, and change in weight and five of eight eating habits upon entering college. A stepwise linear regression analysis explained 10% of the variance in weighted discrepancy scores by consumption of junk food, nutrition and diet information from television, binge eating habits, and weight increase upon entering college (p 0.0001). Results identify a need for nutrition education and skills interventions among undergraduate students to improve dietary habits and body image ideals.

Changes in body image during cognitive-behavioral treatment in women with bulimia nervosa

The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine multidimensional aspects of body image of individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN) at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at follow-up, compared to a group of participants without BN; and (2) to investigate whether measures of body image predicted outcome at post-treatment and follow-up. The clinical sample consisted of 109 females with BN who were enrolled in a 12-week cognitive-behavioral group treatment program. Participants were assessed at baseline, at the completion of treatment, and at 1- and 6-month follow-up visits. The 82 females who comprised the non-bulimic sample were assessed at comparable time intervals. At baseline, the participants with BN reported greater body dissatisfaction and overestimated body size to a significantly greater degree than the comparison group, and reported a significantly smaller ideal size relative to perceived size. Results at the end of treatment indicated significant improvement in self-reported attitudinal disturbance and size overestimation, with continued reductions at follow-up. Logistic regression analyses did not demonstrate a predictive relationship between body image measures at baseline and outcome at post-treatment or follow-up, or between post-treatment and follow-up. Implications for treatment include specifying the source of body image-related distress and enhancing treatment efforts for perceptual and attitudinal aspects of body image.

Effect of participation in physical activity on body image of amputees.

The purpose of this study was to examine body image in individuals with amputations and to determine if a relationship exists between body image and level of participation in physical activity and sports. A secondary objective was to examine correlations between two body-image assessments. A nonrandomized survey was given to a convenience-volunteer sample of individuals of at least 18 yr of age with a lower limb amputation. Twenty-four participants were active and 32 were minimally active. Statistical significance was preset at P < 0.05, with a 95% confidence interval. An overall significant difference was found between groups on the MBSRQ and on three of the 10 MBSRQ subscales. Significant correlations were found between six MBSRQ subscales and the ABIS. A positive relationship was found between regular participation in physical activity and body image among lower limb amputees.

Body image and exercise in people with and without acquired mobility disability

Purpose : This study was conducted to determine whether differences existed in self-perceived body image between adults with and without Acquired Mobility Disability (AMD), and whether a relationship existed between exercise and self-perceived body image in adults with AMD. Method : Thirty adults with AMD were paired with 30 able-bodied controls and matched on gender, age, ethnicity and exercise level. Both groups completed the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) which measures body image on 10 subscales related to appearance, fitness, health/illness, body-areas satisfaction and weight-related attitude. Results : A 2 2 2 two-way ANOVA, with disability (AMD vs able-bodied) and exercise (active vs non-active) serving as the main factors, was used to examine group differences of each on the 10 subscales of the MBSRQ separately. Results indicated that there was a significant interaction between disability and exercise on Health Orientation [F(1, 56)=22.46, p=0.000]. Post-hoc analysis indicated that active able-bodied individuals scored higher on the health orientation subscale than the other three subgroups. No other comparisons on health orientation were significant. There was a significant main effect of disability on appearance orientation [F(1, 56)=10.44, p=0.002] and health evaluation [F(1, 56)=10.48, p=0.002], and a significant main effect of exercise on appearance evaluation [F(1, 56)=10.75, p=0.002] and fitness orientation [F(1, 56)=40.96, p=0.000]. The AMD group scored higher on appearance orientation than the able-bodied group, whereas the able-bodied group scored higher on health evaluation. The physically active group scored higher than the non-active group on appearance evaluation and fitness orientation. Conclusions : The present study indicated that individuals with AMD rated their body image comparable to the able-bodied controls except in the attention paid to appearance and perceptions about physical health. When taking the effect size of the main effect of exercise into consideration, the members of the active mobility disability group appear to evaluate their physical appearance (appearance evaluation) and health (health evaluation) better, are more concerned with fitness (fitness orientation) and more satisfied with different body parts (body areas satisfaction) when compared to their nonactive mobility disability counterparts. The potential role of exercise on improving body image in individuals with mobility disabilities should be systematically investigated.

Friendship clique and peer influences on body image concerns, dietary restraint, extreme weight-loss behaviors, and binge eating in adolescent girls.

This study explored friendship variables in relation to body image, dietary restraint, extreme weight-loss behaviors (EWEBs), and binge eating in adolescent girls. From 523 girls, 79 friendship cliques were identified using social network analysis. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed body image concerns, eating, friendship relations, and psychological family, and media variables. Similarity was greater for within than for between friendship cliques for body image concerns, dietary restraint, and EWLBs, but not for binge eating. Cliques high in body image concerns and dieting manifested these concerns in ways consistent with a high weight/shape-preoccupied subculture. Friendship attitudes contributed significantly to the prediction of individual body image concern and eating behaviors. Use of EWLBs by friends predicted an individual's own level of use.

Relationship between body image and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

T HE IMPACT OF A chronic illness may significantly alter how an individual views the self. Chronically ill individuals must cope with alterations in their health status which may lead to body image disturbance. For individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), rigorous therapeutic interventions such as respiratory therapy, medication regimes, and proper nutrition are focused on maximizing functional capabilities. The psychological well-being of individuals with COPD can be affected due to the physical changes and lifestyle alterations that result from this chronic condition. A change in the body can influence one's feelings of self-worth and self-esteem and further compromise functional abilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between body image and the presence of the chronic illness of COPD. This illness was chosen because it represented a chronic condition that may require integration of physical changes into the individual's view of the self. Assessment of changes in body image in individuals with COPD may be important in the planning and implementation of nursing care. Diekmann (1988) has suggested that both adaptation and quality of life may be inextricably related to the individual's view of his or her body. This study was conducted in a large urban hospital. All patients with a diagnosis of moderate (n = 37) or severe (n = 50) COPD who visited the pulmonary outpatient clinic during a l-year period were interviewed. Severe COPD was defined as the forced expiratory volume in 1 second divided by the forced vital capacity percentage predicted (FEV 1%) of less than 50%, which indicates severe airway obstruction. Moderate COPD was defined as an FEV 1% value between 50% and 60%, which indicates moderate airway obstruction. A comparison group of 49 healthy subjects was obtained from various departments and professional organizations within the hospital setting. Individuals who indicated they were in excellent or good health were included in the study. Body cathexis, the degree of feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with various parts or processes of the body and the self, was measured by the Body Cathexis/Self Cathexis Scales originally developed by Secord and Jourard (1953). The Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) consists of 46 body parts and functions. Subjects indicate their feelings on each of the 46 items on a scale of 1 (have strong feelings and wish changes could be made) to 5 (consider myself fortunate). The Self Cathexis Scale (SCS) lists 55 items that represented various conceptual elements of the self. Subjects rate these aspects of the self on a scale of 1 (wish changes could be made) to 5 (consider myself fortunate). In the original study, Secord and Jourard (1953) found split-half reliability coefficients that ranged from .78 to .92 for the two scales. Healthy subjects and subjects in both COPD groups completed the BCS and SCS. The mean age for healthy subjects was 50 years (SD = 9.19). For the individuals with moderate COPD, mean age was 58 years (SD = 7.22), and mean age was 55 years (SD = 10.10) for individuals with severe COPD. Mean scores on the BCS and the SCS are presented in Table 1. After finding significant ANOVAs for the BCS and SCS, comparisons were made among healthy individuals, individuals with moderate COPD, and individuals with severe COPD using Bonferroni post-hoc analyses. Each of these three groups differed significantly from each other. Healthy subjects had the