Body Size In Women Research Articles

Does a Slim Body Shape Lead to a Stable Job? Analysis from China's Nonagricultural Labor Market

Based on the integrated data of the China General Social Survey (CGSS) from 2010 to 2017, this study observes that body shape – being overweight or underweight – matters for labor market outcomes. Body shape significantly affects the employment opportunities of Chinese employees, and this effect differs by gender and across the occupational hierarchy. Women face both a slim premium and obesity punishment effects. Slim women, those with normal and lower but not excessively lower weight, are more likely to gain long-term employment contracts in the labor market and face a significantly shorter duration of unemployment, while the opposite is observed for overweight individuals. The relationship between women's body size and employment opportunities also varies with occupational class. The obesity penalty is more pronounced in the higher level occupational class, while the slim premium is more obvious in low level occupations. Occupational segregation further magnifies the impact of body shape on women’s employment. The results suggest that the Chinese labor market is highly demanding regarding women's figures, while it is relatively tolerant of men’s figures.

Is a ‘culture of plus-size women’ the independent effect of neighborhood disadvantage on female BMI? A cross-sectional study in two Chilean Municipalities

Research has shown that neighborhood disadvantage has an effect on BMI that is independent of individual disadvantage, much more pronounced in women than in men. The mechanisms that explain this gender-specific effect are not yet clear. Since women's body size dissatisfaction is closely linked to gender differences in BMI inequalities, the independent effect of neighborhood disadvantage on female BMI may relate to a local culture of acceptance of female large bodies, that could influence women's parameters for body size dissatisfaction. This study explored how the relation between female BMI, neighborhood income, individual income and education is influenced by body size dissatisfaction in a random sample of 882 women aged 20–60 that reside in two Chilean Municipalities. Data have a two level structure (women nested in 17 neighborhoods); it was collected by direct survey, height and weight were measured with portable instruments. Disadvantaged neighborhoods house mainly poor and low educated women, whereas the wealthier ones were inhabited mostly by affluent women with postsecondary education. The proportion of women without a husband/partner and with more than three children in disadvantaged neighborhoods was higher than better off areas. Multilevel linear regression showed that neighborhood disadvantage had an effect on female BMI that was independent of women's income and education, which was explained by body size dissatisfaction. The mean BMI for body size satisfaction among women in disadvantaged neighborhoods was 2 kg/m2 higher than in affluent areas, which suggests that a ‘culture of plus-size women’ would emerge in urban clusters of poverty. The findings signal that neighborhood effects on BMI would relate to the socioeconomic polarization of urban areas, with marked concentrations of poverty and wealth, and might be explained by the psychosocial pathways associated to social disadvantage that act in addition to the effects of material conditions to influence people's health.

Abstract 15080: Chronic Mild Sleep Curtailment Increases Markers of Adiposity While Maintained Healthy Sleep Reduces These Measures in Women

Introduction: Over one-third of US adults do not achieve adequate sleep duration of 7 or more h per night. Short sleep is linked to higher odds of cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity. However, whether prolonged insufficient sleep causes increased body weight or adiposity remains unclear. Objective: To compare, in women, changes in body weight and composition in response to prolonged mild sleep restriction (SR) vs maintenance of healthy, habitual sleep (HS). Methods: Women (n=55; age: 35±13 y; BMI: 25.5±3.5 kg/m 2 ) with average adequate sleep duration (total sleep time [TST]=455±23 min) took part in a randomized crossover study with two 6-wk phases: HS and SR. In HS, usual bed and wake times (determined from 2 wk wrist actigraphy and sleep logs) were maintained. In SR, TST was reduced by 1.5 h/night. Sleep was measured continuously and verified weekly for compliance. Body weight and composition were measured at 0 and 6 wk using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Linear-mixed models tested interactions of sleep condition with week on outcome measures. Results: Average TST was reduced in SR and unchanged in HS (-87±19 vs -7±26 min, P<0.01). Significant study condition by week interactions were observed for whole-body volume (WBV), waist circumference (WC), and skeletal muscle. In HS, WBV and WC decreased while these measures increased in SR (WBV: -0.47±0.22 vs 0.27±0.05 L, P=0.02; WC: -1.04 ± 0.78 vs 1.16 ± 0.54 cm, P=0.04). Results were similar for skeletal muscle (-0.19 ± 0.07 vs 0.17 ± 0.01 L, P<0.01). A trend for a reduction in weight was observed in HS relative to SR (-0.39±0.31 vs 0.34±0.09 kg, P=0.09). Conclusions: This is the first evidence that prolonged insufficient sleep leads to increased body size in women. Conversely, maintaining adequate sleep may improve body composition. Our data suggest that healthy sleep duration should be a key component of strategies to improve cardiovascular health in women.

Influences on Body Size Perceptions Among Black Women in the Mississippi Delta.

To identify factors that influence Black women's body size perceptions. Interviews (cognitive mapping exercise) with 25 women; focus group with 7 additional women. Mississippi Delta. Thirty-two black women. Influences on body size perceptions, body mass index, and body satisfaction. Interviewee maps were combined and condensed, using matrix addition and qualitative aggregation, to create a social map. The social map was presented to a focus group. A paired sample t test and descriptive statistics were run to assess weight perception accuracy and body satisfaction. The initial social map contained 27 variables. Male preferences (87.5%) and appearance (64%) were believed by most participants to influence perceptions of body size. The focus group identified lack of encouragement, stress, and substance use as factors worth adding to the map. A statistically significant proportion of interviewees possessed an inaccurate weight perception, t(24) = 2.741, P < .05. Furthermore, 76% were dissatisfied with their current weight status and 80% desired a healthy body size. These findings provide practitioners with leverage points, beyond diet and physical activity, that may improve the efficacy of weight reduction interventions among black women. Considering the paucity of research regarding influences on body size perceptions, this study also provides researchers with participant-defined variables worthy of further examination.

Blood pressure load per body surface area is higher in women than in men.

Many unexplained sex differences have been observed in blood pressure (BP) related morbidity. However, there has been little research about the most obvious difference between men and women-body size. Given that blood vessels are organs of tubular shape, we hypothesized that correction of BP for body surface area (BSA), a two-dimensional measurement of body size, would allow comparison of BP load between men and women. We assessed the relationship of 24-h ambulatory BP measurements and BSA in 534 participants (mean age 61 ± 3 years, 51% women) from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. The study subjects had no previous medication affecting vasculature or BP. When BP values were adjusted for age, smoking, physical activity, and body fat percentage, males had higher ambulatory daytime mean systolic BP (131 mmHg vs. 127 mmHg, p < 0.001), diastolic BP (83 mmHg vs. 78 mmHg, p < 0.001), and mean arterial pressure (100 mmHg vs. 96 mmHg, p < 0.001) than females. However, all BP components per unit of BSA were significantly lower in males: daytime mean systolic BP (65 mmHg vs. 71 mmHg, p < 0.001), diastolic BP (41 mmHg vs. 44 mmHg, p < 0.001), pulse pressure (24 mmHg vs. 28 mmHg, p = 0.013), and mean arterial pressure (49 mmHg vs. 54 mmHg, p < 0.001). The same phenomenon was observed in night-time BP values. BP load per BSA is higher in women than in men, which may explain many reported sex differences in cardiovascular morbidity. Relatively small-sized individuals might benefit from a more aggressive therapeutic strategy.

성인 여성의 연령대별 인체 부위 간 치수증감률을 반영한 재킷 그레이딩에 관한 연구

성인 여성의 연령대별 인체 부위 간 치수증감률을 반영한 재킷 그레이딩에 관한 연구

Maternal and Early Childhood Determinants of Women's Body Size in Midlife: Overall Cohort and Sibling Analyses.

Observational evidence suggests that adult body size has its roots earlier in life, yet few life-course studies have data on siblings with which to control for family-level confounding. Using prospective data from the Early Determinants of Mammographic Density Study (n=1,108; 1959-2008), we examined the association of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2), gestational weight gain (GWG), birth size, and childhood growth factors with adult BMI in daughters at midlife using quantile, linear, and logistic regression models. We compared overall cohort findings (n=1,108) with sibling differences (n=246 sibling sets). Results derived by all 3 regression methods supported positive and independent associations of prepregnancy BMI, GWG, and percentile change in early childhood growth with BMI in daughters at midlife. Sibling analyses demonstrated that higher GWG was independently related to a higher adult BMI in daughters, particularly for the highest 90th quantile of adult BMI (β =0.64 (standard error, 0.26) BMI units). Greater increases in weight percentiles between 1 and 4 years of age within siblings were also associated with higher adult BMI in the 75th quantile (β =0.06(standard error, 0.03) kg). Thus, even after consideration of the role of family-level fixed effects, maternal GWG and childhood weight gain are associated with adult body size in midlife.

Putting the theory before the data: is "massive modularity" a necessary foundation of evolutionary psychology?

Putting the theory before the data: is "massive modularity" a necessary foundation of evolutionary psychology?

Body Size and Sexual Behavior in a Community-Based Sample of Women

ABSTRACT. Women's body size is closely related to their social and sexual experiences. Clinical research has found that women's lifetime sexual behaviors may vary based on body mass index (BMI). Objectives: This study examined the relationship between BMI and recent solo and partnered sexual repertoire in a community-based, non-clinical sample of women. Methods: Two hundred thirty-eight sexually active women completed an online survey measuring age, sexual relationship status, BMI, gender of sexual partners, and engagement in sexual behaviors in the previous 4 weeks. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether BMI predicted engagement in behaviors after controlling for age and sexual relationship variables. Results: Participant age ranged from 18 to 56 years (M = 30.4, SD = 7.8). Participants were predominantly in exclusive sexual relationships (62.9%, n = 146) with men (82.8%, n = 197). Mean BMI for the sample was 29.33 (SD = 9.28). Participation in self-masturbation, masturbating a partner, performing oral sex on a partner, receiving oral sex from a partner, and penile–vaginal intercourse were not predicted by BMI after controlling for age and partner variables. Conclusions: BMI did not impact sexual repertoire during the previous 4 weeks, with the exception of an increased odds ratio for penile–anal intercourse (OR = 1.06; 95% CI [1.02, 1.10]). Researchers and practitioners working with women should not assume limitations on women's sexual repertoires because of larger body size.

The thin/thick body ideal: Zulu women's body as a site of cultural and postcolonial feminist struggle

abstractThis Perspective explores how cultural identity impacts on the gendered construction by Zulu-speaking women of ideal body size and the various means through which women choose to exercise agency around their bodies. We report on a research study conducted among 45 female and five male participants drawn mainly from the Durban-based University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College campus, conducted between 2010 and 2011. The study considers how patriarchal discourses contribute to women's body size ideal, and women's response to traditional and global symbolism of their bodies.The analysis employs two theoretical frameworks, critical medical anthropology (CMA) and postcolonial feminist theory. CMA allowed us to critically question the notion of body size ideal of Zulu-speaking women and unmask the origin of larger structures of construction in what Singer (1995: 90) terms “systems-challenging praxis”. Through CMA, we understand that the female body is the “terrain where social truths are forged and social contradictions played out, as well as the locus of personal resistance, activity, and struggle” (Scheper-Hughes and Lock, 1987: 16), while the lens of postcolonial feminism reveals the body politics that contribute to women's agency and ideas around the ideal body. Through various discourses the participants decipher the meanings inscribed on their bodies. The Perspective exposes how gender and race contribute to perceptions of black women's body ideal.

의복 설계를 위한 중년 여성의 체형 변화에 관한 연구 - 제 5차, 제 6차 Size Korea 직접 측정치를 기준으로 -

In the women's clothing industry that targets middle aged-women, there is increased interest on middle-aged women and their appearance management and diet. It is believed that the body type of middle-aged women is becoming thinner. This study examines if middle-aged women body types have changed based on data from the <TEX>$5^{th}$</TEX> and <TEX>$6^{th}$</TEX> Size Korea that objectively analyzed the aspects of middle-aged women's body size change and the related fashion industry that recognize changes in middle-aged women body types by suggesting foundational data for clothing designs. According to research results, middle-aged women's body type shows an increase in items related to height and that measurement values related to obesity (such as weight and BMI index) tend to decrease. Height has increased and weight has decreased compared to the past. Most items related to width or depth tend to show decreased values and we can assume that the present middle-aged women's body type is changing more dynamically than before. It will be possible to design proper clothes for consumer body type and trends if we design clothes that afford multilateral attention to the patterns, design, or material in clothing design by applying the aspects of middle-aged women's body size and body type change.

Embodied empathy‐in‐action: overweight nurses’ experiences of their interactions with overweight patients

Obesity is now commonly recognised to be a significant public health issue worldwide with its increasing prevalence frequently described as a global epidemic. In the United Kingdom, primary care nurses are responsible for weight management through the provision of healthy eating advice and support with lifestyle change. However, nurses themselves are not immune to the persistent and pervasive global levels of weight gain. Drawing on a Gadamerian informed phenomenological study of female primary care nurses in England, this paper considers the complex gendered understandings and experiences of being overweight, and of food and eating. The nurses' emotional and injurious experiences of being large is found to be capable of producing embodied caring practices, involving a fusion of horizons with patients over how it feels to inhabit a large body. Yet, even though subjected to similar derogatory stereotypes as patients, they simultaneously reinforce the dominant and damaging individualising psychopathology inherent to anti-obesity discourses. This suggests an urgent need to expose and challenge harmful discourses surrounding women's body size and weight in order to avoid nursing practices that unthinkingly reproduce culturally dominant and gendered understandings of weight, body size, food and eating.

Perceptions of women and health‐care providers in Tokyo of appropriate weight gain during pregnancy

A mother's underweight status and insufficient weight gain during pregnancy are risk factors for infant low birthweight. Concerns have been raised regarding whether pregnant women are provided with accurate information about weight gain. This study explored how and from whom pregnant women in Tokyo receive information related to body weight. Four focus groups were conducted with nine pregnant women, nine nurse-midwives, and eight obstetricians between March and June 2006. The recorded interviews were content-analyzed. Weight gain was a common concern among the participants, regardless of the women's body size, and sufficient weight gain was rarely mentioned. However, the health-care providers were aware of their lack of expertise and training in behavior modification. Pregnant women consistently expressed a desire for reassurance and praise from health-care providers, which might be a culture-specific phenomenon. The findings point to a need for culturally appropriate and accurate communication about weight gain during pregnancy.

Self-perceptions of body size in women at an inner-city family-planning clinic

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body size perception among female patients in an inner-city family-planning clinic. All participants (n = 81) were measured for height and weight and completed an anonymous survey. Self-perceived, current, and ideal body sizes were determined by using a standardized scale. Body image discrepancy was calculated by the difference between body image perception and measured BMI. Approximately two-thirds of the participants were obese or overweight. As measured BMI increased, the body image discrepancy increased, with significant differences in body perception in both obese (P < .001) and overweight (P < .001) women. Ideal body size increased with measured BMI. Overweight and obese women in an inner-city clinic are likely to underestimate their body size. Our data support the need for culturally sensitive education for this population, because many do not view themselves at risk for complications related to excessive weight.

Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Maternal, Birth, and Early-Life Influences on Adult Body Size in Women

The authors conducted a follow-up study of 261 women born during 1959-1965 (38% White, 40% African-American, and 22% Latina) to investigate whether maternal and infant factors are independently associated with adult body size after accounting for childhood growth. Standard statistical methods (linear regression and logistic regression) were compared with quantile regression methods to assess the independent effect maternal factors (body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)(2)), maternal weight gain), birth measures (birth weight, placental weight), and early infancy and childhood growth measures (birth-4 months, 4 months-1 year, and 1-7 years) have on predicting adult body size. While most of these factors were important predictors of BMI at age 20 years, the size and relative importance of the effect differed across models. For example, maternal weight gain was associated with being overweight (BMI > or = 25) at age 20 years (per 10-pound (4.5-kg) change, odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval: 1.11, 2.44) and was associated with the upper quantiles (>/=75th percentile) of BMI at age 20 years. In contrast, maternal BMI and birth weight were relatively more important for lower quantiles, particularly at age 40 years. Only rapid growth from ages 1 to 7 years was an important predictor of adult BMI at both age 20 and age 40, irrespective of statistical model. However, the persistence of effects of maternal and infant factors on adult BMI, even after rapid childhood growth is accounted for, suggests a greater need to investigate these early-life influences and whether their impact differs for smaller and larger women.

Do men hold African-American and Caucasian women to different standards of beauty?

Racial differences in men's preferences for African-American and Caucasian women's body size and shape were examined. As expected, there was a trend for African-American men to choose ideal figures with a lower waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), which is associated with a more curvaceous figure. Contrary to expectations, however, African-American men did not choose heavier female figures as ideal. In fact, both groups chose underweight and normal weight figures as ideal. The results from this study suggest that while preferences for WHR may continue to be associated with cultural factors, African-American and Caucasian men may have become more similar than different in their preferences for female weight. Also, the results suggest that within the African-American sample, there were two subsamples with regard to WHR preferences, with one subgroup endorsing the same ideal WHR as their Caucasian counterparts. The results are discussed in terms of possible changes to cultural values that may be reflected in a change in what is considered attractive.

Barriers to routine gynecological cancer screening for White and African-American obese women

Obese women are reported to be at higher risk from gynecological cancers than nonobese women, yet these women are less likely to get cancer-screening tests. The specific factors that contribute to obese women not obtaining timely cancer screening have not been identified. To investigate the factors that contribute to lower rates of gynecological cancer screening as related to women's body size. A purposeful sample of 498 White and African-American women with body mass index (BMI) from 25 to 122 kg/m(2), including 60 women with BMI > 55 kg/m(2), was surveyed concerning access to gynecological cancer screening and potential barriers that could cause delay. Health care providers (N = 129) were surveyed concerning their education, practices, and attitudes about providing care and gynecological cancer-screening tests for obese women. Obese women reported that they delay cancer-screening tests and perceive that their weight is a barrier to obtaining appropriate health care. The percent of women reporting these statements increased significantly as the women's BMI increased. Women with BMI > 55 kg/m(2) had a significantly lower rate (68%) of Papanicolaou (Pap) tests compared to others (86%). The lower screening rate was not a result of lack of available health care since more than 90% of the women had health insurance. Women report that barriers related to their weight contribute to delay of health care. These barriers include disrespectful treatment, embarrassment at being weighed, negative attitudes of providers, unsolicited advice to lose weight, and medical equipment that was too small to be functional. The percentage of women who reported these barriers increased as the women's BMI increased. Women who delay were significantly less likely to have timely pelvic examinations, Pap tests, and mammograms than the comparison group, even though they reported that they were 'moderately' or 'very concerned' about cancer symptoms. The women who delay care were also more likely to have been on weight-loss programs five or more times. Many health care providers reported that they had little specific education concerning care of obese women, found that examining and providing care for large patients was more difficult than for other patients, and were not satisfied with the resources and referrals available to provide care for them. Since the goal of preventive cancer screening is to improve health outcomes for all women and since obese women are at greater risk, strategies must be designed to reduce the weight barriers to these tests and improve the quality of the health care experience. Providers should receive specific training related to care of large women.

595-S: Effects of Childhood Socioeconomic Status on Adult Body Size in Women

595-S: Effects of Childhood Socioeconomic Status on Adult Body Size in Women

Self-deprecation and estimates of body size in women.

The subject of body image in women has received considerable attention particularly with concern about its relationship to behaviours such as dieting. This study investigated the reported tendency of women to see thinness as desirable and to perceive themselves as fatter than others do. This tendency is inconsistent with the general findings on self-enhancement that show that people (including women) generally overestimate the extent to which they possess desirable characteristics. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether the tendency for women to report themselves as fatter than others perceive them is part of a general tendency to deprecate themselves on socially desirable qualities or whether this deprecation is restricted to body size. To investigate this, 29 female undergraduates in psychology participated in a study comparing own and others' perceptions of body size, attractiveness, sexiness, intelligence, and friendliness. Compared with the ratings of them given by others, women tended to make self-enhancing judgements of their attractiveness, sexiness, intelligence, and friendliness. This was not found for body size, however, for which self-ratings tended to be the same as those made by others. The failure to find self-enhancing judgements of body size is discussed in terms of the relatively unvarying standards presented to women concerning ideal body size compared to the more subjective standards used to evaluate other qualities.