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PubMed1975

Personality, body image, and eating pattern changes in overweight persons after weight loss.

A group of overweight persons who achieved a substantial weight loss over a 6-month period were compared with a group of overweight persons who showed an unsubstantial weight change and a normal weight control group. All groups were evaluated before the weight program began and at a 6-month follow-up. The substantial weight loss group showed a number of significant changes after weight reduction. Body image rating shifted in the direction of evaluating onself as less heavy, eating was rated as less good and more heavy, and a greater feeling of self-control was indicated. Over time, the change group learned to limit the number of emotional and environmental cues that were discriminative stimuli for eating behavior. There also were more frequent reports of eating in response to cues of hunger after substantial weight loss.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Terminal illness and body image.

Mark Wareing's case study of a patient with penile cancer (p34) offers an insight into issues of disturbed body image at the end of life. This paper explores some of the patient's experiences in terms of the confrontation and avoidance of difficulties after disfigurement. The effect of the nurse's own anxieties when reflecting on the patient's experiences is also discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Body image and eating behaviors in Orthodox and Secular Jewish women.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of religion on the development of disturbances in body image and eating behaviors. PARTICIPANTS: 78 Orthodox Jewish women were compared with 48 secular Jewish women. DESIGN: Participants completed the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire Version (EDE-Q), and the Figure Rating Scale (FRS). RESULTS: Despite a similar body mass index of 22.2 +/- 2.8 SDs, the secular women scored significantly higher on the BSQ (P = .005) and the EDE-Q (P = .004) than the Orthodox women. The secular women also had greater eating disorder symptomatology: more laxative use (P = .02) and a trend toward more vomiting (P = .06) and diuretic use (P = .06), although not more binge eating. They were twice as likely to have a fear of becoming fat (P = .05) and were four times as likely to be influenced by their shape and weight (P = .001). Also, despite increased media exposure, the secular group chose an ideal body size on the FRS similar to that of the Orthodox group, suggesting that their greater body dissatisfaction on the BSQ was related, instead, to greater cultural pressure for thinness (P = .007) and more shame about appearance (P = .04). CONCLUSION: Our findings show that membership in a strict, insulated religious group such as Orthodox Judaism may protect women, to some extent, from developing body dissatisfaction and eating pathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Body image and eating behavior in adolescent girls.

To determine attitudes toward body weight and shape and eating and weight control practices among adolescent girls, an anonymous questionnaire was administered to 854 adolescent girls and young women aged 12 through 23 years who were seen in a military adolescent outpatient clinic. Overall, 67% were dissatisfied with their weight, and 54% were dissatisfied with their body shape. Dissatisfaction with weight and shape varied positively with increasing body weight but not with increasing age. Binge eating had occurred in 30.4%, and weight control behavior, such as dieting, fasting, vomiting, and stimulant, laxative, and diuretic use, had occurred in 38.2%, 30.7%, 8.5%, 9.5%, 3.3%, and 6.2%, respectively, varying positively with increasing weight. Thirty-six percent of those adolescent girls who saw themselves as overweight desired an inappropriate weight loss, and 61% of these, who desired an excessive loss, exhibited an increased prevalence of weight control behaviors and were less likely to believe that they had an eating problem. Dissatisfaction with body weight and shape, and eating behaviors, such as dieting, binge eating, fasting, and vomiting, are common in adolescent girls, many of whom are attempting weight control without an accurate perception of what is normal.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Ethnic/racial and socioeconomic differences in dieting behaviors and body image perceptions in adolescents.

This study examined differences in perceptions of body weight, dieting, unhealthy eating behaviors, and weight control methods among adolescent males and females of various racial/ethnic and socioeconomic (SES) subgroups. Data were derived from a comprehensive health survey administered to 36,320 students in grades 7 through 12 in Minnesota. Differences among ethnic/racial and SES groups were assessed using multivariate logistic regression controlling for grade and body mass index (BMI). Results showed that unhealthy weight control behaviors are not confined to upper SES white females. Compared to white females, Hispanic females reported greater use of diuretics; Asians reported more binge eating; and blacks reported higher rates of vomiting. Black and American Indian females were more likely to be satisfied with their body. Among males and females, higher SES was associated with greater weight satisfaction and lower rates of pathological weight control behaviors. Findings from this study suggest that future research should focus on the validity of self-reports of dieting and weight control behaviors in different ethnic subgroups.

Body Image↗
PubMed2002

Body image assessment: comparison of figure rating scales among urban Black women.

PURPOSE: To determine a psychometrically stable and socially acceptable scale for assessing perceptual body image in Black women. METHODS: The study sample (N = 50) was selected sequentially from Black women (mean age 52.3 +/- 10 years) who were being screened for a larger randomized trial (Project Joy). Three standard published figure rating scales (FRS) were compared with a new scale (Reese FRS). Distributions of respondents' selections on all scales were examined relative to anthropometric measures, including body mass index (BMI) and categories of obesity and overweight (National Expert Panel on Overweight and Obesity Guidelines). Cultural identity, developed from an adaptation from the African-American Acculturation Scale II (cross-validation and short form), and its relationship to FRS preference was also assessed. RESULTS: Body weight distribution of women in this study matched that of US Black women over 40 years of age in the NHANES III data. All four FRS performed similarly and correlated significantly with BMI, r was -0.70 to -0.75, P<.0001. Twenty-two percent of the women identified themselves with one of the three largest images (determined by consensus of an expert panel to represent obesity) on three FRS and 38% identified with the three largest images on one scale. For all scales, this was below 56% of women identified as obese based on national guidelines. Among women with the highest cultural identity scores, indicating the strongest identification with elements of Black culture, 72% preferred the new Reese FRS. CONCLUSION: Overall, there is considerable overlap among images selected for any weight category based on national BMI classifications. A strong preference exists for the Reese scale, especially among women with a strong Black cultural identity. This new scale performs similarly to existing scales in successively assessing the self-assignment of an image for self, but is more socially acceptable. Reasons for the small percentage of obese women who identified themselves as obese need further investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Social background, aspects of lifestyle, body image, relations, school situation, and somatic and psychological symptoms in obese and overweight 15-year-old boys in a county in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: To compare lifestyle and health aspects among obese, overweight, and normal-weight 15-year-old boys living in the county of Västmanland, Sweden. DESIGN: A cross-sectional school-based survey. Setting. All schools in the county of Västmanland, Sweden. SUBJECTS: A questionnaire was completed anonymously by 989 boys. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The relations between body mass index and social factors, eating habits, physical activity, body image, relations, school situation, use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco, somatic and psychological symptoms in boys. RESULTS: Obese boys had a significant negative outcome in 19 out of 31 items studied compared with normal-weight boys, while the overweight boys had a significant negative outcome in 9 out of 31. The obese boys reported more irregular eating habits than normal-weight boys, were less satisfied with their weight and looks, and had fewer friends. A larger proportion of the obese boys reported that they did not like school, were more absent from school, and had been exposed to more violence. They bullied their schoolmates more often. The obese boys had tried sniffing solvents and used illicit drugs more frequently than their peers. They reported more somatic and psychological symptoms as well as suicidal thoughts and attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Obese 15-year-old boys differed from overweight and normal-weight boys in lifestyle and in the frequency of somatic and psychological symptoms. Early and vigorous intervention is necessary, as they may belong to a risk group that could develop not only medically but also socially negative consequences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Exercise motivation, eating, and body image variables as predictors of weight control.

PURPOSE: This study investigated changes in psychosocial variables related to exercise, eating, and body image during a weight reduction program and evaluated their association with weight loss in middle-aged overweight and obese women up to 1 yr after intervention. METHODS: The 136 participants (age, 48.1 +/- 4.4 yr; weight, 30.6 +/- 5.6 kg x m(-2)) who completed the 4-month lifestyle weight reduction program (86% retention), losing -6.2 +/- 4.6% (P < 0.001) of their initial weight, were followed up for 12 additional months. Of these, 82% completed 16-month assessments (weight change, -5.5 +/- 7.7%, P < 0.001). Psychosocial variables were assessed by validated instruments in standardized conditions at baseline and after the intervention (4 months). RESULTS: Compared with 4-month assessments, body weight did not change at 16 months (P > 0.09). Changes in eating restraint, disinhibition, and hunger; exercise, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation; body shape concerns; and physical self-worth were associated with weight change at 4 months (P < 0.001, except hunger, P < 0.05). Baseline-adjusted 4-month scores in all psychosocial variables also predicted weight change from baseline to 16 months (P < 0.01), except hunger (P > 0.05). After controlling for 4-month weight change and other covariates, increases in exercise intrinsic motivation remained predictive of weight loss at 16 months (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that eating variables were significant and independent correlates of short-term weight change, whereas changes in exercise variables were stronger predictors of longer term weight outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the importance of cognitive processes during weight control and support the notion that initial focus on diet is associated with short-term weight loss, while change in exercise-related motivational factors, with a special emphasis on intrinsic sources of motivation (e.g., interest and enjoyment in exercise), play a more important role in longer term weight management.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Physical fitness, body image, and locus of control in college women dancers and nondancers.

This study assessed the correlations among measures of physical fitness, body image and locus of control in college freshman women dancers and nondancers. 39 students enrolled in courses in modern, ballet, and jazz dance, and 120 students enrolled in an introductory personal health course were administered the Hall Physical Fitness Test Profile, the Winstead and Cash 54-item short-form Body Self-relations Questionnaire (BSRQ), and the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale. Analysis showed dancers were more physically fit, scored more positively on the BSRQ physical fitness and health domains, and were more internal in their locus of control than the nondancers. There was no significant difference between dancers and nondancers on the BSRQ appearance domain. The significant positive correlation between BSRQ health and physical fitness among dancers was not observed among nondancers. The significant positive correlation for BSRQ appearance and health was noted for nondancers but not for dancers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

The positive influence of maternal identification on body image, eating attitudes, and self-esteem of Hispanic and Anglo girls.

OBJECTIVE: The role of maternal identification in the development of girls' body image, eating attitudes, and self-esteem was examined. METHOD: Hispanic and Anglo girls (n = 410) ages 8-13 were surveyed using the Body Esteem Scale (BES), the Children's Eating Attitudes Test, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and the Child Figure Drawing task. From this sample, normal-weight girls with high or low scores on the BES were selected for the main study. Ninety-two mother-daughter pairs participated in this second phase in which mothers completed similar questionnaires and girls performed a Q-sort task measuring maternal identification. RESULTS: Maternal identification was positively correlated with girls' self-esteem and negatively correlated with eating problems and body dissatisfaction. Also, mothers with high self-esteem tended to have daughters with high self-esteem. The mothers of girls with low BES scores found a significantly greater discrepancy than the mothers of girls with high BES scores when contrasting their daughters' current shape with either the ideal figure for their daughter or the figure they believed boys would find attractive. DISCUSSION: Girls who aspired to be like their mothers in terms of personality traits felt better about themselves and their bodies compared with girls with low maternal identification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Reliability measures in distorting body-image.

This study is the first to make a direct comparison between the distorting mirror and the distorting videocamera with the same group of nonclinical subjects. It also establishes the internal consistency, the test-retest reliability and the convergent validity of both techniques. Analysis indicates, as with other studies, that perceived image is consistently over-estimated and ideal image is consistently under-estimated by both techniques. With the distorting mirror, the frontal orientation is repeatable over four days and with the video the profile is the more reliable orientation. A comparison between profile and frontal orientations on any single test occasion (internal consistency) indicates that the results correlate well so either orientation is acceptable for experimental purposes. The extent to which both techniques were measuring the same aspect (convergent validity) was more marked for the ideal image. A researcher using the distorting mirror can be confident that the ideal image is reliable over time using either orientation but that the perceived image requires a frontal orientation. The frontal or profile orientation is acceptable for the ideal image using the distorting video, but the profile orientation is advisable if one wishes a reliable perceived image. The researcher should also be cautious in assuming that both techniques are measuring an identical body-image construct.

Anorexia Nervosa↗
PubMed1999

Obesity stigmatization and coping: relation to mental health symptoms, body image, and self-esteem.

OBJECTIVE: To create inventories of stigmatizing situations faced by obese people and ways of coping with stigmatization, and to examine how stigma and coping are related to psychological distress in an obese patient population. DESIGN: Study 1: Items were generated by asking obese people to list stigmatizing situations they had encountered and their ways of coping. Study 2: Obese patients were surveyed about the frequency with which they encountered each form of stigmatization and employed each form of coping. Cross-sectional data on current psychological adjustment were obtained. SUBJECTS: Study 1: 63 obese patients (body mass index, BMI > 40 kg/m2); 38 obese non-patients, seven professionals who work with obese patients and 32 obese female authors from the print media. Study 2: 112 gastric bypass patients (BMI 33.9-80.9 kg/m2) and 34 less obese patients (BMI 27.1-57.2 kg/m2). MEASUREMENT: Study 1: Collection of stigmatizing situations and coping responses. Study 2: Frequency of stigmatizing experiences and coping responses, psychological symptoms, body image, and self esteem measures. RESULTS: Study 1 resulted in two objective questionnaires, consisting of 50 situations and 99 responses. Study 2 found that stigmatization is a common experience, and that obese subjects frequently engage in some effort to cope with stigma. More frequent exposure to stigmatization was associated with greater psychological distress, more attempts to cope, and more severe obesity. Certain coping strategies are associated with greater distress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Illusory movements of the contralesional hand in patients with body image disorders.

OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we assess whether illusory sensations of movement can be elicited in patients with right brain damage (RBD). METHODS: Ten RBD patients (three with disorders of bodily representations) were asked to report whether movements of their right hand induced any illusory somatic or motor sensations. Inquiries on anomalous sensation of movement of the left hand were carried out while subjects: 1) observed the moving hand in a mirror propped vertically along the parasagittal plane; 2) looked directly at the moving hand; 3) looked at the still hand; 4) kept their eyes closed. Twelve healthy subjects served as controls. RESULTS: Movement of the right hand induced a very clear sensation of movement of the left, contralesional hand in two patients affected by body image disorders. Remarkably, this occurred mainly while subjects were looking in the mirror, that is, when conflicts between visual, somatic, and motor information were maximal. In no condition did control subjects report any consistent anomalous evoked movement or sensation. CONCLUSIONS: Illusory movements of the left, plegic hand contingent upon sensorimotor conflicts can be evoked in brain damaged patients with body image disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Changes in body image satisfaction during pregnancy: a comparison of high exercising and low exercising women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare ratings of body image satisfaction (BIS) from 6 months prepregnancy to 23-30 weeks' gestation for high exercising and low exercising pregnant women. The authors also aimed to assess and compare expectations of BIS for the post-partum period in high and low exercising women. DESIGN: A partial prospective approach was implemented. SAMPLE: A total of 71 healthy pregnant women (40 high exercisers and 31 low exercisers) participated. METHODS: Participants completed a series of questionnaires at 15-22 weeks' gestation and 23-30 weeks' gestation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: There were two main outcome measures. At 15-22 weeks' gestation there was an exercise inventory and two versions of the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) (retrospective prepregnancy BIS and current BIS). At 23-30 weeks' gestation there was an exercise inventory and two versions of the BCS (current BIS and projected post-partum BIS). RESULTS: At 15-22 weeks' gestation, high exercisers demonstrated significantly higher levels of BIS compared to low exercisers. There were no other significant differences between groups. Within groups, high exercisers were significantly more satisfied with their bodies at 15-22 weeks' gestation compared to 6 months prepregnancy, and expected to be less satisfied with their bodies at 6 weeks' post-partum than they were during pregnancy. Low exercisers demonstrated no significant changes over time. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that women are able to assimilate the bodily changes of pregnancy without a negative shift in BIS. However, women who exercise during pregnancy may respond more favourably to changes in their bodies at early pregnancy compared to women who remain sedentary.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The weight-conscious adolescent: body image, food intake, and weight-related behavior.

PURPOSE: To explore how adolescents who try to lose weight differ from those who do not in relation to body image, food intake, knowledge about food, and sources of information about food, nutrition, and weight loss. METHODS: Data were collected from 12-15-year-old school students in North Queensland, Australia by questionnaire. RESULTS: Boys who attempted weight loss reduced sweet foods and snacks, while concurrently increasing healthy foods such as fruit, yogurt, and low-fat milk. Girls who attempted weight loss ate breakfast, lunch, snacks, milk, bread, meat, and many sweet and fatty foods less often than other girls. Some reduction in meals, snacks, core foods, and sweet fatty foods, but not savory fatty foods, remained after the weight loss attempt. Boys attempting weight loss had better knowledge about high-fat and high-sugar foods than other boys, but there was no difference for girls. Girls attempting weight loss were more likely than other girls to think that core foods such as bread, potatoes, and dairy products should be reduced, whereas boys were more likely to think that sweet foods should be reduced. The majority of students who had attempted weight loss during the previous year considered themselves overweight, while few weight-conscious students were satisfied with their bodies. CONCLUSIONS: The weight-conscious adolescents in this study, especially the girls, exhibited restrictive eating practices and a preoccupation with a slim image. Adolescents need a food culture based on foods to eat rather than foods to avoid, and an understanding of suitable weight-control measures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Alexithymia and body image disturbances in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate alexithymia and body image in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and test whether alexithymic traits influence severity of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or body distress. METHODS: Sixty-four consecutive women with a DSM-IV diagnosis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and age range of 18-45 were recruited. Alexithymia was measured with the Italian version 20-items Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Severity of premenstrual mood symptoms was measured through the use of Visual Analogue Scales. Body concerns were assessed with the Body Uneasiness Test, Body Shape Questionnaire and Body Attitude Test. Additional measures were Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale. RESULTS: Prevalence of alexithymia in our sample was 31.3% (n=20). Alexithymics showed higher scores on all rating scales (p range 0.001-< 0.001). Difficulty in Identifying Feelings and Difficulty in Describing Feelings subscales of Toronto Alexithymia Scale were predictors of severity of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder in the multiple linear regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymia was associated with more severe Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Alexithymic women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder exhibited significantly poorer appearance evaluation and body satisfaction than non-alexithymic women.

Adolescent↗