Specific Areas Of Body Research Articles

African American College Women's Body Image: An Examination of Body Mass, African Self-Consciousness, and Skin Color Satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to examine general and cultural factors associated with body image perceptions of African American women college students. A total of 124 African American college women attending a historically Black college completed the following scales: African Self-Consciousness (ASC) scale, the Skin Color Satisfaction Scale (SCSS), the Body Mass Index (BMI), and several body image measures. Results from simultaneous multiple regression analyses suggest that all three factors collectively accounted for a significant amount of variance in dimensions of body image satisfaction. Specifically, SCSS accounted for a significant amount of variance in three body image dimensions (i.e., appearance evaluation, satisfaction with specific body areas, internalization of social cultural messages of appearance), suggesting that the greater satisfaction with one's skin color was associated with more positive, internal perspectives of one's body image. The BMI accounted for a significant amount of variance in measures of appearance evaluation and satisfaction with body areas, such that greater BMI scores were related to a less positive evaluation of overall appearance but more satisfaction with specific body areas. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

U.S. Air Force recruit injury and health study

Objectives: To assess the types, rates, and risks of injury for male and female USAF recruits. Design: Outpatient visits for female (5250) and male recruits (8656) were collected and analyzed for rate of injury, types of injuries, and risk of injury throughout a 6-week training period. Results: One third of female recruits and one sixth of male recruits were injured at least once during recruit training. The overall rate for injuries in women and men was 63.0 and 27.8 per 1000 person-weeks, respectively. The adjusted relative risk for women versus men for all injuries was 2.22, and was consistent (1.67 to 3.27) across injury sites. Despite declining absolute rates of injury by week (106.1–13.4 for women and 53.7–13.2 for men), relative risk of injury for women versus men remained fairly constant throughout each training week. The relative risk for injury serious enough to result in medical hold was 1.69 for women vis-a-vis men. Approximately half of all medical discharges for women and men were for injuries. Conclusions: Female recruits were injured twice as often as male recruits, and were 1.5 times more likely to be removed from their training cohort for injury. Relative risk for injuries to specific body areas remained fairly consistent, indicating that no gender-specific injuries were occurring. Further efforts to determine the cause of injuries should be undertaken, and interventions aimed at reducing the disparate risk of injuries in women should be developed and evaluated.

Urinary excretion of tetrahydrophtalimide in fruit growers with dermal exposure to captan

The relation between dermal and respiratory exposure and uptake into the body of captan, measured as 24 hr cumulative tetrahydrophtalimide (THPI) dose, was studied among 14 male fruit growers applying pesticides in orchards in the Netherlands. No contribution of respiratory exposure was observed on THPI in the urine. Dermal exposure, measured with skin pads, showed a clear relation with THPI in urine when exposure was estimated from exposure on skin pads of ankles and neck. No relation was found for total dermal exposure, calculated from measured exposure on skin pads of representative skin areas according to models described in the literature. Determinants of exposure such as use of a cabin on the tractor, use of gloves during mixing and loading, and use of rubber boots also explained THPI in urine very well. This finding corroborated the findings on measured dermal exposure. Results indicate that more attention should be paid to skin areas which are suspected to be most permeable for a chemical under study. It was concluded that dermal exposure data can be linked better to biological monitoring based on empirical findings as gathered in a pilot study on exposure of specific body areas than on estimations of total skin dose.

Determinants of Emergency Department Procedure- and Condition-Specific Universal (Barrier) Precaution Requirements for Optimal Provider Protection

Study objective: To determine potential blood and body fluid (B/BF) contacts with specific body areas associated with procedures commonly performed in the emergency department and to thereby delineate appropriate procedure-specific precautions. Design: Prospective, observational study assessing procedure-related B/BF contacts by use of stratified, blocked sampling of shifts. Participants: ED patients in an inner-city tertiary care university hospital. Results: Of 2,529 procedures performed in 1,025 patients, 1,621 (64%) were associated with barrier-protected or unprotected B/BF contact; 92% involved blood or bloody BF. Chest tube placement, lumbar puncture, and examination of the bleeding patient all resulted in B/BF contact with the facial area. All of the 18 procedure categories observed, with the exception of IM injection, resulted in B/BF contact with hands. Many procedures resulted in contact with the body or feet. Procedure type, provider, length of time, number of procedures per patient, and successful completion were each independently associated with B/BF contact. Number of attempts, adverse conditions, and triage acuteness were not associated with increased likelihood of contact. Conclusion: Virtually all ED procedures require gloves. Barrier protection for the body may be appropriate for all but the simplest procedures. Protection for the face seems appropriate, especially in invasive procedures such as lumbar puncture or physical examination of the bleeding patient. This study, along with other published data, has aided development of detailed guidelines for appropriate barrier precautions to be taken for common ED procedures. [Kelen GD, Hansen KN, Green GB, Tang N, Ganguli C: Determinants of emergency department procedure- and condition-specific universal (barrier) precaution requirements for optimal provider protection. Ann Emerg Med June 1995;25:743-750.]

Gadodiamide Injection-Enhanced MR Imaging of the Body: Results of a Multicenter Trial

<b>Rationale and Objectives.</b> To evaluate the safety and efficacy of gadodiamide injection at a dose of 0.3 mmol/kg for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the body (musculoskeletal system, abdomen, retroperitoneal space, pelvis, and breast) in a multicenter study involving 330 patients. <b>Methods.</b> Unenhanced T1-weighted MR images were obtained before and after 0.3 mmol/kg gadodiamide injection was administered in each patient. The patients were monitored for changes in vital signs, and laboratory studies were performed. The MR images were evaluated for contrast enhancement. <b>Results.</b> No serious adverse events or clinically important changes in vital signs or laboratory values were observed. Evaluation of the MR images demonstrated abnormalities in 274 (84%) of the 326 patients included for efficacy analysis. Gadodiamide injection helped diagnostically in the evaluation of the images of 246 (75%) of all patients, and it added diagnostic value in 210 (77%) of the 274 patients with abnormalities. With respect to the evaluation of enhancing abnormalities of the specific body areas, gadodiamide injection added diagnostic value for the musculoskeletal system in 89% of cases, for the abdomen (liver and spleen) in 73%, the retroperitoneal space (kidneys) in 94%, the pelvis (bladder and prostate) in 39%, and the breast in 100% of the cases. <b>Conclusion.</b> Gadodiamide injection administered at 0.3 mmol/kg is safe and effective for MR imaging of patients with suspected lesions or abnormalities of the body.

A control profile of adult children of alcoholics: a preliminary investigation.

In order to more precisely investigate the nature of control and self-control issues for adult children of alcoholics (ACA), a group of ACAs was compared to a group of sex and age matched healthy normals and a sex matched group of college students on the Shapiro Control Inventory (SCI). The SCI provides a profile that is both general domain (positive sense of control, desire/efforts for control, agency of control, and mode of control) and domain specific (body, mind, interpersonal, self, career, environment). Analysis of variance and subsequent planned comparisons on the SCI showed significant differences between the ACA and the two comparison groups in general domain sense of control, in three of the four general domain mode quadrants, and in the domain specific areas of body, mind, interpersonal, and career. Individual areas where ACA subjects felt most out of control were weight, significant other, and family of origin; 89.5% felt concern with self-concept, stress, and relationship with significant other. Although a small subset of ACAs had a strikingly high "in control" profile, most did not. Finally, the sense of control profile of ACAs is compared with two clinical populations--borderline and depression--and is shown to fall midway between the clinical and normative groups. Guidelines and suggestions for further research are offered.

Bone changes in postmenopausal Spanish women.

Total body bone mass (TBBM), axial bone mass (trunk = chest and spine), and peripheral bone mass (arms and legs) were determined in 258 normal, slow bone mass loser, postmenopausal women, as determined by previous biochemical studies, in order to study the degree of bone mass reduction due to menopause. The subjects of this study were divided into 5-year groups on a year-since-menopause basis. The first group corresponded to 1-5 years since menopause, and the last group to 25 years or over since menopause. An important and significant reduction in trunk bone mass (-12.3%, P < 0.001) and TBBD (-5.8%, P < 0.002), without changes in head, arms, and legs was observed in the first 5-year group. In the next 5-year group, a significant reduction was observed in all body areas, but at a higher rate in the peripheral skeleton (-9% in arms and -7.3% in legs). A slow down in bone mass loss was observed in the period between 10 and 25 years since menopause. These values became significant again after 25 years since menopause at the axial (-28.9%, P < 0.001) and TBBD (-20.3%, P < 0.05) level. Aside from providing percentages of bone mass reduction with respect to age and time since menopause, these data also indicate that measurements of specific body areas may not be extrapolated to others due to different loss in different body areas, and that there is a marked bone loss rate in the axial skeleton in the first 5 years since menopause.

Findings From the Preparticipation Athletic Examination and Athletic Injuries

This study investigated the relationships between the findings from a standardized preparticipation athletic examination, the sport played, and athletic injuries requiring treatment by a physician and/or requiring the athlete to miss one or more games. Of public high school students receiving a preparticipation athletic examination during the 1989-1990 academic year, 674 (56%) either completed a telephone interview or returned a mailed questionnaire at the end of the academic year. The sample consisted of 408 (60.5%) blacks and 243 (36.1%) whites; 470 (69.7%) of the subjects were males. The subjects ranged in age from 13 to 20 years (mean +/- SD, 16.1 +/- 1.2 years), and participated in at least 10 school sports. Injuries were reported by 29.5% of the athletes. The highest proportion of athletes injured occurred among male football (36.3%), female basketball (33.3%), male baseball (19.4%), male soccer (17.2%), and female track and field (15.8%) participants. Responses by the athletes and their parents on the standardized health history were significantly associated with injuries in several specific areas. Knee injuries were associated with previous knee injuries, knee surgery, and history of injuries requiring medical treatment. Ankle injuries were associated with previous ankle injuries and previous injuries requiring medical treatment. Both arm and other leg injuries were associated with previous fractures. Male athletes with either abnormal knee or ankle findings from the physical examination were more likely to injure the knee or ankle, respectively. However, the sensitivities and positive predictive values of these relationships are weak. These data suggest that the preparticipation athletic examination may not predict certain athletic injuries and that additional prevention efforts for specific body areas of injury are needed in certain sports.

Relationships between lamb vigour and maternal behaviour on sucking success at parturition

High perinatal mortality in sheep flocks worldwide remains a major economic and welfare issue. Maternal behaviour and lamb vigour are both considered major variables affecting lamb survival, but there is little data to describe their relative importance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between lamb vigour and maternal behaviour at parturition. With the increase in hill ewes being crossed to longwool breeds there is an interest in the relative survivability of these lambs. This study compared the behaviour of Mule [Bluefaced Leicester x Blackface] lambs with purebred Scottish Blackface lambs.Data on 32 third parity single and twin-bearing Blackface ewes lambing indoors were collected by focal animal observations on the ewe's grooming behaviour. These observations included details of the time spent grooming specific areas of the lamb's body and also general activity and udder-seeking behaviour of the lambs. Observations lasted 10 minutes and were made at parturition and then at 30 and 90 minute intervals. The data was transformed by arcsin. for proportions, or log, for frequencies, and analysed by Analysis of Variance,

Subcutaneous fat distribution in males and females from 1 to 39 years of age

Subcutaneous fat thicknesses measured in two longitudinal studies, the Denver Growth Study and the Melbourne Growth Study, were examined to determine 1) if one site of subcutaneous fat measurement is more representative than another of the body's subcutaneous fat layer, 2) if some measurements of subcutaneous fat from specific body areas are more representative of the subcutaneous fat layer than others, and 3) if there are sex and age differences in intersite relationships. Data from the Denver Study include skinfold thicknesses from 10 sites measured serially at annual ages from 4 to 39 yr and radiographic fat thickness measured at five sites at annual ages from 1 to 18 yr. In the Melbourne Study, five skinfold thicknesses were measured serially in children from 2 to 15 yr of age. Relatively low intersite communalities during the prepubertal years suggest a tendency in each sex for considerable site-to-site variation during this period. However, immediately before puberty and throughout adolescence, high communalities indicate that the thickness of subcutaneous fat at any site is highly related to thickness at all other sites. After puberty and into the mid-20's, there is a reoccurrence of greater site-to-site variability. This higher degree of variation continues into early middle age only in women, implying that more changes occur in their subcutaneous fat, that differentially affect various parts of the body, than in men.

Theme induction of localized somatic tension.

This study tested a body image-oriented model concerning the selective development of somatic tension (symptomatology) in specific body areas. The design was based upon a theory which assumes that an individual's relative awareness of specific areas of his body plays a role in coping with conflictual themes linked to such body areas. It was predicted that exposure to a theme message linked with a specific body region would selectively produce experiences of tension in that locale as a function of how frequently it had previously been a site of somatic discomfort. The hypothesis was tested and also cross-validated in eight male samples (N = 138). This was done by exposing subjects to taped messages about specific themes and then measuring tension in specific body areas. The results were supportive of the hypothesis. They indicate that localized somatic discomfort is linked to concern about specific conflictual themes.

Grooming in Norway Rats: the Development and Adult Expression of a Complex Motor Pattern

Abstract In two experiments detailed observations and quantitative analyses were made of the development and adult expression of grooming in laboratory rats. In the first experiment, 5 litters of rat pups were observed each day from 0-28 days of age, and grooming movements were recorded on paper. Forepaw wipes of the nose appeared by Day 3, followed by eye wipes (Day 6) and ear wipes (Day 8). These movements were integrated into normal-appearing head grooming on Day 11. The mouth was used to groom posterior portions of the body beginning on Day 14 with the belly, and continuing subsequently with hip (Day 15), back (Day 18), and the anogenital region and tail (Day 20). Thus, these aspects of grooming followed a general cephalocaudal progression. In contrast, the development of scratching of the head and body, which began on Day 6, did not follow a systematic order. In the second experiment, 5 adult male rats were observed in glass aquaria, which also served as their living compartments, and bouts of grooming were recorded on videotape for later analysis. Sequential and spatial characteristics of movements were determined by replaying the videotapes in slow motion, while temporal characteristics were determined by a frame-by-frarne analysis of the tapes. This experiment revealed a cephalocaudal progression of acts within bouts of grooming: grooming usually began with the paw-lick- nose-wipe sequence and progressed from there to eye wipes and ear wipes. Mouthing of the torso followed, usually beginning with more anterior portions and terminating with more posterior portions. Scratching with the hindpaws was unpredictably interpolated into the grooming sequence. The experiment also revealed that transitions between grooming different parts of the body were predictable from the spatial and temporal characteristics of the grooming. That is, the last stroke in chains of nose, eye, or ear wipes was reliably slower than previous strokes in the chain, and also tended to be incomplete. Thus, the order in which grooming of specific body areas emerges during early development follows an anterior-posterior progression, and this progression closely parallels the sequence in which body areas are groomed by adult rats. Furthermore, in adults these movements obey specific temporal and spatial rules which can be used to predict transitions of grooming from one body area to the next. This parallel between the ontogenetic and adult expressions of grooming may reflect, respectively, the maturation and activation of genotypically determined, functional units in the central nervous system. In addition, theories now being applied to the problem of transitions between different motive systems (e.g., eating and drinking), may be extended to account for transitions within a motive system (e.g., from grooming of one part of the body to the next).

Cross-validation of sex differences in aniseikonic perception.

The different socializing experiences males and females encounter are reflected in their different attitudes toward specific body areas. Previous findings ( 1 ) suggested that because the male learns to have less anxiety about motility in space than the female, he also has relatively less anxiety about his legs (which are most intimately associated with movement). Further, women who generally learn to be more openly emotionally expressive than men showed relatively less anxiety about the facial regions ( the prime region for emotional communication). Fisher demonstrated this pattern in a study dealing with the differences in aniseikonic perception' of the legs and head in males and females. Females who looked at themselves in a mirror while wearing aniseikonic lenses saw significantly less change in rheir legs than did males, while males saw significantly less change in rheir heads than did females. Earlier, Wittreich and Radcliffe ( 4 ) demonstrated that the greater the anxiety linked with a perceptual target the greater the resistance to perceiving it as perceprually altered when viewing i t aniseikonically. Analogously, it has been shown that when anxiety is attached to a particular body area there is a tendency, when wearing aniseikonic lenses, to resist perceiving it as altered ( 3 ) . Anxiety, in this context, seemingly motivates one to maintain things as they are, thus avoiding potentially threatening change. The present study was an attempt to cross-validate prior findings ( 1 ) concerned with the differences in aniseikonic perception of the legs and head. College students ( 5 3 female, 37 male) were paid for their participation. Their median age was 20 yr. The earlier procedure ( 1 ) for measuring aniseikonic perception of one's body was not employed here; rather a more precise method ( 2 ) was used. Each S was asked to face a full length mirror 5 ft. from him, while wearing the first of three sets of aniseikonic lenses differing in the degree of aniseikonia produced. Three sets were used to increase the reliability of the procedure. A 2-min. acclimation period was given to each S for the first pair of lenses; and verbalization of perceived changes in the walls, floor, ceiling, or door was encouraged. S was then asked to look at his own image and rank order the head, arms, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and legs, proceeding from the area most changed to that least changed. A schematic diagram of the body was provided with each major area of the body designated by a number which S could cite as he made his ranking judgments. This procedure was repeated for each of the two other sets of lenses. Comparison of mean rank of Ss for the three lens trials combined yielded results consistent with expectation. The median rank for legs for men was 3.33 (range k 5 . 3 3 ) and for women was 4.00 (range 0 4 . 0 0 ) . The median rank for head for men was 4.33 (range 0-6.0) and for women 3.33 (range 0-6.0). Employing the Mann-Whitney U test and a one-tail test (since this was a cross-validation effort) , females perceived significantly ( U = 2.34, p < .01) fewer changes in t h e i ~ legs than did males. Also, males perceived significantly ( U = 1.70, p < .05) fewer changcs in the head region than did the females. Sex differences for ranks of other body sectors were not significant. These results completely reaffirm the differences between males and females originally reported by Fisher ( 1964) . REFERENCES 1. FISHER, S. Sex differences in body perception. Psychological Monographs, 1964, 78, No. 14 (Whole No. 5 9 1 ) . 2. FISHER, S., & RICHTER, J. selective effects o f the menstrual experience upon aniseikonic body perceprion. Psychoromatic Medicine, 1969, 31, 367-371. 3. UDDENBERG, N., & HAKANSON, M. Aniseikonic body perception in pregnancy. lournu/ of Prychosoma~ic Medicine, 1972, 16, 179-184. 4. WI'ITREICH, W. J., & RADCLIFFE, K. B. The influence of simulated mutilation upon the perception of the human figure. Journal o f Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1955, 51,493-495. Accepted November 14, 1973.

PHS Program in Radiological Health

To the Editor:— A few errors crept into your otherwise excellent report ( 195 : adv p 41) of some of the findings in the Public Health Service's x-ray exposure study of the US population. One of these may well create a very serious misunderstanding of this study and of the PHS program in radiological health. Your report states that Within the next year, PHS plans to announce recommended doses to specific body areas.... This is definitely not the case. The next phase of our investigations will translate the x-ray visits and procedures data of the present study into estimates of actual current exposures received by the US population. Obviously, it is not feasible for the PHS or anyone else to recommend overall doses to specific body areas in the population from the clinical use of x-ray films. The amount of x-ray exposure an individual patient receives is a function of necessary

Radiation dose estimation in the 1958 Los Alamos criticality accident.

An accidental radiation excursion occurring durin Pu/sup 2//sup 3//sup 9/ recovery operation resulted in significant exposure of three personnel, one exposure terminating in fatality. Irradiation of the fatally exposed person was nonuniform, and it was possible only to estimate his average body dose and dose incident to specific body areas. His average fast neutron dose was estimated as about 900 rads, and gamma dose as 3000 to 4000 rads. The fast neutron doses incident to the head and upper abdomen were estimated as 2600 and 3000 rads, respectively, and the respective incident gamma doses as about 7800 and 9000 rads. A second operator received a neutron dose estimated at 2.6 rads, and his film badge showed a gamma of 118 rads. The third person's neutron and gamma doses were estimated as 1.4 and 31.5 rads, respectively. Most of the gamma dose to the nonfatality exposed operators was accumulated during subsequent trips near the source. (auth)

Selection of optimum kilovoltage for dental radiography.

The most commonly used dental x-ray machines are designed to operate at kilovoltage peaks ranging from 50 to 70. There are no investigations in the dental literature which prove that this range will produce dental films most suitable for diagnosis, and the recent recommendations by Fitzgerald (1) are for dental x-ray equipment capable of producing higher kilovoltages than are available at present. Medical radiologists are not limited by a narrow kilovoltage range in their equipment nor by lack of information concerning optimum values for specific body areas. They recognize that different kilovoltages are required for acceptable penetration and have experimentally tested high voltages in the production of diagnostic films (2–6). It appears that this type of information would be valuable also to dental radiologists. The purpose of this investigation was to test the applicability of the high-kilovoltage technic to dental radiography and to determine the optimum kilovoltage for production of dental radiographs that are capable of demonstrating both hard-and soft-tissue lesions with one exposure. The investigation involved the study of radiographic contrast, which is defined as the degree to which a film will demonstrate differences in radiopacity over a given range of structural density. Many authors have expressed a preference for a film giving “high contrast” (7–12). Such films are “brilliant” and have sharp distinctions between tissues of differing radiopacity. Slight differences in a single tissue are readily apparent. The question unanswered at present is what degree of contrast is necessary to produce a film of highest diagnostic value. The contrast should be such that variations in all important structures can be easily seen; soft tissues should be differentiated from fluids and tissue voids, while on the same film sound enamel must be distinguishable from dentine, carious enamel, and metallic restorations. This goal is not achieved at the present time. In order to obtain the extremes of the radiopacity range in the oral cavity, it is an accepted procedure to utilize double-packet films and develop one of the exposures less than full time. Any study of contrast involves radiographic density, since both qualities of dental film are affected by the three basic factors—the type of film, the developing technic, and the tube kilovoltage. In addition, density is influenced by target-film distance and milliampere seconds of exposure. A change in kilovoltage alone will make a difference in the contrast but will also cause the density to be unsatisfactory. In order to maintain constant density, the milliampere seconds of exposure must be adjusted to compensate for each new tube potential. All other factors, such as film processing, type of film, and target-film distance, must be kept constant in each experiment.