Ideal Body Size Research Articles

Confiabilidade teste-reteste de escalas de silhuetas de autoimagem corporal no Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto

We applied silhouette scales for assessing body image on two occasions with a 7 to 14 day interval in 281 participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to measure test-retest reliability. The item "how participants see their current body size" showed ICC from 0.92 to 0.97, with no difference by gender, age, or schooling. "Ideal body size" showed ICC from 0.86 to 0.92 and was lower among men. Temporal stability was satisfactory, allowing for use of the scales in studies on body image in the ELSA-Brasil and similar populations.

484 Body Surface Area Introduces a Bias When Used to Normalize Cardiac Dimensions in Pediatric Echocardiography

484 Body Surface Area Introduces a Bias When Used to Normalize Cardiac Dimensions in Pediatric Echocardiography

Wanting a body that's better than average: The effect of manipulated body norms on ideal body size perception

We examined the effect of body norms on ideal and current body size perception. In Study One, female participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: (1) a thinner body norm, (2) a heavier body norm, or (3) no body norm. Body norms were manipulated by indicating a bogus “population average,” and current and ideal body size perception were subsequently measured using a body silhouettes measure. Women had a thinner ideal body size in the thinner norm condition than in the heavier norm condition. Study Two replicated these results, but in a sample of young men and with regards to muscularity rather than thinness. Men had a more muscular ideal body size in the more muscular norm condition than in the less muscular norm condition. Current body size perception was also influenced by body norms, but only for women and after controlling for BMI.

Mothers’ beliefs about infant size: Associations with attitudes and infant feeding practices

Few studies have examined maternal attitudes toward infant body size, but extant work suggests there might be less negativity toward overweight sizes and less positivity toward thin sizes for infants than older children. Fifty mothers of 12 to 25month-old infants completed questionnaires examining attitudes toward infants', children's and their own body sizes, as well as their feeding practices. Most mothers reported ideal body sizes similar to their infants' current body sizes, but mothers reported thinner ideals for girls than boys. Mothers showed the least thin idealization and overweight devaluation when rating infant bodies compared to rating older children and adults. Mothers’ perceptions of which infant body types were overweight were related to restrictive feeding practices. Mothers who perceived their infants as thin engaged in pressuring feeding practices. Results suggest some weight bias in mothers of infants and highlight the need for longitudinal studies examining mechanisms behind these varying attitudes.

Body Image and Modifiable Weight Control Behaviors Among Black Females: A Review of the Literature

Black women are at high risk for obesity and obesity-related health problems (1). Nearly 50% of black women compared to 30% of white women are obese (2,3). While many women who attempt to lose weight do so through caloric restriction and/or physical activity, smoking has been identified as an alternate strategy used for weight loss among black women with weight concerns or body image concerns (4). Nicotine’s suppression of body weight facilitates initiation and maintenance of smoking among women (5–7). Despite the deadly health risks associated with tobacco use, 23.1% of women smoke (8). Female smokers are more likely to report smoking cigarettes to control weight (6,9) and less likely to quit smoking due to weight concern (10). Perkins

Hruschka et al. Respond

We thank Dr. Bartle for pointing out that clustering of obesity in families would be expected given shared genetics. Of course, we would also expect that common home environment plays a role.1 Our key finding that shared social norms only weakly account for shared body size in a sample including both family and friends leaves room for developing a number of plausible alternative hypotheses for the social bases of obesity clustering, including some that more directly take into account genetics. But as obesity has demonstrated high heritability and a large norm of reaction, we would expect that the most ultimately satisfying answers must be focused on interactions between relevant genetic pathways and the physical and social environment. We are especially encouraged in this regard by recent findings on the developmental origins of obesity,2 interactions between feeding environment and genetic risk,3 and genetic influences on how people construct their social environments.4 A direct focus on mechanisms—whether by examining how body size ideals influence behavior or by mapping specific genetic pathways—will be the crucial step in understanding how and why the social environment matters to the obesity epidemic.

BMI Not WHR Modulates BOLD fMRI Responses in a Sub-Cortical Reward Network When Participants Judge the Attractiveness of Human Female Bodies

In perceptual terms, the human body is a complex 3d shape which has to be interpreted by the observer to judge its attractiveness. Both body mass and shape have been suggested as strong predictors of female attractiveness. Normally body mass and shape co-vary, and it is difficult to differentiate their separate effects. A recent study suggested that altering body mass does not modulate activity in the reward mechanisms of the brain, but shape does. However, using computer generated female body-shaped greyscale images, based on a Principal Component Analysis of female bodies, we were able to construct images which covary with real female body mass (indexed with BMI) and not with body shape (indexed with WHR), and vice versa. Twelve observers (6 male and 6 female) rated these images for attractiveness during an fMRI study. The attractiveness ratings were correlated with changes in BMI and not WHR. Our primary fMRI results demonstrated that in addition to activation in higher visual areas (such as the extrastriate body area), changing BMI also modulated activity in the caudate nucleus, and other parts of the brain reward system. This shows that BMI, not WHR, modulates reward mechanisms in the brain and we infer that this may have important implications for judgements of ideal body size in eating disordered individuals.

Prospective changes in body image dissatisfaction among adolescent bariatric patients: the importance of body size estimation

BackgroundBody image dissatisfaction (BID) is pervasive among patients presenting for bariatric surgery but improves significantly postoperatively. These findings have been determined primarily from studies of adults. The objective of the present study was to examine the changes in BID among adolescents with extreme obesity from baseline/preoperatively to 6 and 12 months after receiving bariatric surgery at a pediatric medical center using body size estimation. MethodsBID was prospectively assessed among 16 adolescent bariatric patients (mean age 16.3 ± 1.2 years, mean body mass index [BMI] 66.2 ± 12.0, 67% female) using a standard visual/perceptual measure (i.e., Stunkard Figure Rating Scale). Participants identified their current and ideal body size, with a discrepancy score (current minus ideal) indicating BID. The body size estimation ratings were compared with attitudinal (i.e., Impact of Weight on Quality Of Life–Kids: Body Esteem and Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents: Physical Appearance) body image scores, BMI, and total weight-related quality of life. ResultsA significant reduction occurred in the current body size (from 7.9 to 6.4, P <.001) from baseline to 6 months but not from 6 to 12 months. The current body size was related to BMI and percentage of excess weight loss but not attitudinal body image at each follow-up point. A smaller discrepancy (current minus ideal) was associated with greater total weight-related quality of life (r = −.68), with a trend toward significance for body esteem (r = −.65) at 12 months. ConclusionAdolescents undergoing bariatric surgery experience a significantly decreased BID within the first 12 months after surgery, with the most substantial change occurring from baseline to 6 months. The postoperative weight-related quality of life is more closely associated with the body size discrepancy than with the current body size.

Intergenerational Differences in Food, Physical Activity, and Body Size Perceptions Among African Migrants

We assessed intergenerational differences in food, physical activity, and body size perceptions among refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa living in Victoria, Australia. We used a qualitative design and obtained data from 48 participants (18 individual interviews; 3 semistructured focus groups). Three major themes emerged: (a) food and physical activity, (b) preference of body size and social expectations, and (c) perceived consequences of various body sizes. For parents, large body size was perceived to equate with being beautiful and wealthy; slimness was associated with chronic illness and poverty. Parents adopted strategies that promoted weight gain in children. These included tailored food practices and restricting children's involvement in physical activity. For young people, slimness was the ideal body size endorsed by their peers, and they adopted strategies to resist parental pressure to gain weight. Obesity-prevention programs in this subpopulation need to adopt a multigenerational approach.

KONTES KECANTIKAN DAN EKSPLOITASI PEREMPUAN DALAM MEDIA

The beauty contest is a contest which covered and broadcasted by many of electronic and printed media, This social fenomena arises the questions, what is the goal of this contest ?, what are the requirements which must be fulfilled by the participant, what are the creteria of assesments, face beauty, ideal body size, or clothes weared by the participant ?. Is the intellectual factor including into assessment of creteria ? or are there any other requirements must be fulfilled by the participant?, why does media seems more enthusiastic to published and broadcasts this activity?. From all the questions, the writer wishes to analyse, is the taking part of women in this contest and the enthusiastic of media to published and broadcasts this activity is an exploitation of media toward woman? The analaysis showed that the international, national and local beauty contests is an exploitation of media toward woman.

사회문화적 관점에서 본 교양체육 참여 여대생들의 신체상 - 자기차이 지각

The present study was an attempt to examine the effect of social-cultural pressure on the perceived actual self, ideal self and ought self of self-discrepancies about body images between women`s university students and general university female students participating cultural physical education class in university. All participants were assessed on height and weight and a 17 scaled Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS) extended by Shroff (2004). A total 552 university female students (general university students(n)=243; women`s university students(n)=309) who consented to the survey were selected from 6 different university. Selfdiscrepancies about body images was measured in terms of actual body size, ideal body size and ought body size which were commonly used in previous researches. ANOVA, and Pearson`s (r) were applied to test the group differences between the selected self-discrepancies about body sizes and to estimate the correlations between them. The main finding of this study are as follows. Women`s university students preferred more lean body size than general university female students ideal self and ought self of self-discrepancies about body images(except actual self body images). For both of women`s university students, the correlations between actual-ideal, actual-ought were significant. The implication and limitation of this study were discussed.

An exploration of body dissatisfaction and perceptions of Black and White girls enrolled in an intervention for overweight children

Silhouette measures are one approach to assessing body dissatisfaction in children, although little is known about their use among racially diverse, overweight girls seeking weight-loss treatment. This study assessed racial differences in body dissatisfaction and body size perceptions of 58 girls (ages 6–11, 66% Black, 34% White) participating in a randomized trial for pediatric overweight. Body dissatisfaction did not differ between races; 99% of girls reported an ideal figure smaller than their current one. Black girls selected a larger silhouette to represent their ideal body size, and most girls in both racial groups underestimated their actual size. Outcomes strengthen the argument that, despite an overall preference for a larger body size, obesity might mitigate cultural factors that protect Black girls from body dissatisfaction. Additional research is needed to enhance understanding of children's body size perceptions and dissatisfaction to inform assessment and treatment of pediatric obesity and associated disordered eating symptoms.

Intra-familial and ethnic effects on attitudinal and perceptual body image: a cohort of South African mother-daughter dyads.

BackgroundInternational studies suggest ethnic differences in obesity prevalence may be due, in part, to differences in body image and body size dissatisfaction between groups. Further, there is evidence to suggest that there is a familial resemblance in body image between mothers and their younger (preadolescent) daughters. This research was therefore conducted to specifically identify the extent to which family status (presented as mother-daughter resemblance) and ethnicity impact on body image attitudes and perceptions of South African mothers and their pre-adolescent daughters.MethodsMother-daughter dyads (n = 201, 31% black, 37% mixed ancestry and 32% white) answered questions regarding their body image perception (the way they saw their body size status), their body image ideals, and body image attitudes (body size dissatisfaction in particular, presented as the Feel-Ideal Difference [FID] index score). Mothers' and daughters' body image results were compared within dyads and across ethnic groups using repeated measures of ANOVA.ResultsOverall, body image resemblances exist between South African mothers and their pre-adolescent daughters. Mothers and daughters chose similarly weighted silhouettes to represent their body size ideals (p = 0.308), regardless of their ethnicity or body mass index (BMI). The FID index scores were similar between mothers and their daughters only after the confounding effects of maternal BMI were removed (p = 0.685). The silhouettes chosen to represent thinness were also similar between mothers and their daughters (p = 0.960) regardless of ethnicity and maternal BMI. On the other hand, the silhouettes chosen to represent fatness were similar (p = 0.342) between mothers and their daughters, only after the confounding effects of maternal BMI were removed. Lastly, mothers and their daughters chose similarly weighted silhouettes as engendering feelings of beauty, respect and happiness (p = 0.813; p = 0.615 and p = 0.693, respectively). In this instance, black mother-daughter dyads chose significantly heavier silhouettes than the other ethnic groups. This implies that black mothers and daughters associate beauty, respect and happiness with a bigger body size.ConclusionResemblances exist between pre-adolescent girls and their mothers on issues related to ideal and attitudinal body image. In this regard, South African researchers should consider the effects ethnicity and family status on body image of women when developing targeted interventions to prevent or manage obesity.

Body Image Changes Associated With Participation in an Intensive Lifestyle Weight Loss Intervention

The primary aim of this study was to test for changes in body image in men and women enrolled in the Look AHEAD trial. Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) is a multicenter, randomized controlled trial designed to test whether intentional weight loss reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes. Participants included 157 adults at one site (Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC), Baton Rouge, LA) of the Look AHEAD study. At baseline, the mean BMI of the female participants was 36.4, and the mean BMI for males was 33.5. Following baseline assessment, participants were randomly assigned to the intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI, n = 81) or diabetes support and education (DSE, n = 76). The body morph assessment version 2.0 (BMA 2.0) was used to assess estimates of perceived current body size, ideal body size, acceptable body size, and body image dissatisfaction at baseline and 1 year. Over the 1 year, participants in the ILI group had significantly greater reductions in weight (10.1% for men and 8.9% for women) than those in the DSE group (+ 0.8% for men and -0.2%, for women). Perceived current body size was reduced significantly more in both men and women in the ILI group, relative to DSE. There were also significantly greater reductions in body image dissatisfaction in the ILI group, relative to the DSE group for men and women. The results of this study indicate that body image dissatisfaction improved following participation in an intensive behavioral weight loss program.

Is ideal body image related to obesity and lifestyle behaviours in African American adolescents?

Childhood obesity epidemic has become a public health issue in the USA, especially among African American youths. Research on the association between ideal body image (IBI) and obesity and related lifestyle factors among African American children and adolescents is limited. Data collected from 402 low-income African American adolescents aged 10-14 years in four Chicago public schools were used. Questionnaires were used to assess IBI, weight perception, weight control practices, and self-efficacy towards food and physical activity. Body mass index was calculated using measured weight and height. Associations between IBI and weight perception, overweight/obesity and lifestyle behaviours were assessed using linear and logistic regression models. The most frequently chosen ideal body size was the fourth of eight silhouettes (from thinnest to heaviest) for boys (55%) and girls (49%). Overweight and obese girls selected larger ideal body figures than the others (trend test: P < 0.001). Compared with those with middle ideal body figures, girls who selected smaller ones were twice as likely to have an unhealthy diet as indicated by less fruit and milk consumption; the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were 2.40 (1.15-5.02) for fruits intake (<once/week) and 2.13 (1.06-4.29) for milk consumption (<once/day), respectively. Boys with larger IBI were less likely to eat snack often [≥once/day; OR = 0.11 (0.02-0.50)]. Girls with larger IBI were less likely to spend more screen time [OR = 0.12 (0.02-0.70)] and reported better food choice intentions (P < 0.05). Overweight and obese boys and girls appeared to have better food choice intentions and food self-efficacy than their non-overweight peers (trend test: both P < 0.01). Ideal body image is associated with weight status, food self-efficacy and lifestyle behaviours among low-income African American adolescents.

Differences in eye-movement patterns between anorexic and control observers when judging body size and attractiveness

Attentional biases may influence the eye-movements made when judging bodies and so alter the visual information sampled when making a judgment. This may lead to an overestimation of body size. We measured the eye-movements made by 16 anorexic observers and 16 age-matched controls when judging body size and attractiveness. We combined behavioural data with a novel eye-movement analysis technique that allowed us to apply spatial statistical techniques to make fine spatial discriminations in the pattern of eye-movements between our observer groups. Our behavioural results show that anorexic observers overestimate body size relative to controls and find bodies with lower body mass indexes more attractive. For both judgments, the controls' fixations centre on the stomach, but the anorexic observers show a much wider fixation pattern extending to encompass additional features such as the prominence of the hip and collar bones. This additional visual information may serve to alter their behavioural judgments towards an overestimation of body size and shift their ideal body size towards a significantly lower value.

Disordered Eating in Women: Implications for the Obesity Pandemic

Contemporary Western society emphasizes thinness for women, and the ideal female body size has become progressively smaller over the past half century. Meanwhile, the actual female body size has increased steadily, and rates of aberrant attitudes and behaviours surrounding food and weight have risen and tend to be much more common in overweight individuals. Thus disordered eating and excess body weight may perpetuate each other's development. We have synthesized the literature concerning female body size and disordered eating within a sociocultural context. Eight cognitions and behaviours that occur in women were examined: media exposure, weight stereotypes, body dissatisfaction, dieting, "fat talk," emotional eating, perfectionism, and the "superwoman" ideal. The research literature suggests that these factors may play a role in both disordered eating and obesity. Furthermore, these factors may induce triggers, exacerbated by perfectionism and excess weight, that increase the risk of binge eating. These triggers include interpersonal discrepancies, low interpersonal esteem, depressive affect, and dietary restraint. Comprehensive interventions targeting the indicated sociocultural cognitions and behaviours, combined with healthy living education, may be the most effective strategy for reducing the prevalence of disordered eating and obesity among females.

Body image, body dissatisfaction and weight status in south asian children: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundChildhood obesity is a continuing problem in the UK and South Asian children represent a group that are particularly vulnerable to its health consequences. The relationship between body dissatisfaction and obesity is well documented in older children and adults, but is less clear in young children, particularly South Asians. A better understanding of this relationship in young South Asian children will inform the design and delivery of obesity intervention programmes. The aim of this study is to describe body image size perception and dissatisfaction, and their relationship to weight status in primary school aged UK South Asian children.MethodsObjective measures of height and weight were undertaken on 574 predominantly South Asian children aged 5-7 (296 boys and 278 girls). BMI z-scores, and weight status (underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese) were calculated based on the UK 1990 BMI reference charts. Figure rating scales were used to assess perceived body image size (asking children to identify their perceived body size) and dissatisfaction (difference between perceived current and ideal body size). The relationship between these and weight status were examined using multivariate analyses.ResultsPerceived body image size was positively associated with weight status (partial regression coefficient for overweight/obese vs. non-overweight/obese was 0.63 (95% CI 0.26-0.99) and for BMI z-score was 0.21 (95% CI 0.10-0.31), adjusted for sex, age and ethnicity). Body dissatisfaction was also associated with weight status, with overweight and obese children more likely to select thinner ideal body size than healthy weight children (adjusted partial regression coefficient for overweight/obese vs. non-overweight/obese was 1.47 (95% CI 0.99-1.96) and for BMI z-score was 0.54 (95% CI 0.40-0.67)).ConclusionsAwareness of body image size and increasing body dissatisfaction with higher weight status is established at a young age in this population. This needs to be considered when designing interventions to reduce obesity in young children, in terms of both benefits and harms.

Obesity and Body Size Preferences of Jordanian Women

The nutrition transition is associated with increased obesity rates and increased desire to be thin. This study evaluates the relationship between actual body size and desired body size among a representative sample of 800 Jordanian women. Using Stunkard's body silhouettes, women were asked to identify their current and ideal body sizes, healthy body size, and their perception of the body size preferred by men. Body mass index (BMI) calculations indicate that 53.8% of the women were overweight or obese. Their mean current body size was 5, which is consistent with the mean BMI of 26 in the sample. Although 66% of the women were dissatisfied with their body size, the desired weight loss was not extreme. Pearson correlation was positive (.858, p <.0001) between measured BMI and body silhouettes chosen as an indicator of current body size. Jordanian women seemed pulled between the traditional and Westernized body preferences. Possible cultural explanations are explored.

한국과 몽골 여대생의 실제체형과 인지체형 및 신체만족도에 관한 비교

This study compares the body sizes of Korean and Mongolian female college students, their perceptions about body size, and body satisfaction based on similar cultural backgrounds. The subjects consisted of 164 Korean students and 171 Mongolian students from March to April, 2008. The age range was 17 to 22 years. We directly measured the body sizes of subjects and examined by questionnaire the degree of body cathexis, perceived body size, and ideal body size. Both Korean and Mongolian college students have similar body measurements but Korean college students have smaller heads, broader and slopped shoulders, and thinner arms and legs. There were insignificant differences in perceived body size for both groups; in particular they perceived that their lower body is fat or thick. However, there were differences in body satisfaction. Both groups had the lowest satisfaction rate for their lower bodies; but in all items, Korean college students had a lower body satisfaction rate than Mongolian college students even though they have thinner arms and legs. Finally, the ideal body style for both groups was a skinny body type, but Korean students preferred a much thinner body type. The body satisfaction rate is greatly affected by the ideal body than the actual body.