Body Image: Gender, Ethnic, and Age Differences

Demarest, Jack; Allen, Rita

doi:10.1080/00224540009600485

Cited by 286 publications

(181 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In agreement with findings from several ethnic groups (42)(43)(44) , women in Immigrant-HUBRO were more prone to be dissatisfied with their bodies than men, and while women wanted to lose weight, men more often wanted to gain weight. About one out of three normal-weight women were dissatisfied with their weight.…”

Section: Weight Dissatisfaction and Slimming Attemptssupporting

confidence: 88%

Overweight and weight dissatisfaction related to socio-economic position, integration and dietary indicators among South Asian immigrants in Oslo

Råberg

Kumar

Holmboe‐Ottesen

et al. 2009

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: To investigate how socio-economic position, demographic factors, degree of integration and dietary indicators are related to BMI/waist:hip ratio (WHR) and to weight dissatisfaction and slimming among South Asians in Oslo, Norway. Design: Cross-sectional study consisting of a health check including anthropometric measures and two self-administered questionnaires. Setting: Oslo, Norway. Subjects: Pakistanis and Sri Lankans (n 629), aged 30-60 years, residing in Oslo. Results: BMI was positively associated with female gender (P 5 0?004) and Pakistani origin (P , 0?001), and inversely associated with years of education (P 5 0?011) and eating more hot meals (P 5 0?016). WHR was positively associated with male gender (P , 0?001), age (P , 0?001) and a dietary pattern with high-fat foods (P 5 0?005), and inversely associated with degree of integration (measured by a composite index, independent of duration of residence; P 5 0?017). One-third of those with normal weight and most of those obese were dissatisfied with their weight. Among these, about 40 % had attempted to slim during the past year. Dissatisfaction with weight was positively associated with education in women (P 5 0?006) and with integration in men (P 5 0?026), and inversely associated with physical activity (P 5 0?044) in men. Women who had made slimming attempts had breakfast and other meals less frequently than others (P , 0?05). Conclusions: Weight dissatisfaction exists among South Asian immigrants. More research is needed regarding bodily dissatisfaction and the relationship between perception of weight and weight-change attempts among immigrants in Norway, in order to prevent and treat both obesity and eating disorders.

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Section: Weight Dissatisfaction and Slimming Attemptssupporting

confidence: 88%

Overweight and weight dissatisfaction related to socio-economic position, integration and dietary indicators among South Asian immigrants in Oslo

Råberg

Kumar

Holmboe‐Ottesen

et al. 2009

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Adolescent females wanted to be at least one half size smaller than their current size and reported greater body dissatisfaction and body size discrepancy than did males (Demarest & Allen, 2000;Gardner et al 1999). Caucasian females reported the highest BD scores and Caucasian males reported the lowest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gender differences; Ethnic differences; Body Image; Rural; Adolescents Numerous studies have shown that adolescent females are dissatisfied with their shape and weight and prefer a thinner body figure (Demarest & Allen, 2000;Gardner, Friedman, & Jackson, 1999). Males, by contrast, appear to be generally satisfied with their overall body shape and size, although some may wish to be larger or more muscular (Peixoto-Labre, 2002;Stanford & McCabe, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender and ethnic differences in body image and opposite sex figure preferences of rural adolescents

2007

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This study examined whether rural adolescents would report gender and ethnic differences in body image similar to those that have been observed in urban samples. Data were analyzed for 384 rural adolescents (57% African American, 43% Caucasian, mean age 13 yr) to determine gender and ethnic differences in body dissatisfaction, body size discrepancy, and current and ideal figure ratings. Females wanted to be smaller and reported more body dissatisfaction than did males. Caucasian females reported the most body dissatisfaction. African Americans reported larger current and ideal figure ratings than did Caucasians. African Americans preferred larger opposite sex figures than did Caucasians. Both African American and Caucasian males selected a larger female figure as ideal than was selected by females. Results demonstrated that gender and ethnic differences exist in body image for rural adolescents. This frequently overlooked population may benefit from further study. Implications of findings and limitations of the study are also discussed. KeywordsGender differences; Ethnic differences; Body Image; Rural; Adolescents Numerous studies have shown that adolescent females are dissatisfied with their shape and weight and prefer a thinner body figure (Demarest & Allen, 2000;Gardner, Friedman, & Jackson, 1999). Males, by contrast, appear to be generally satisfied with their overall body shape and size, although some may wish to be larger or more muscular (Peixoto-Labre, 2002;Stanford & McCabe, 2005). Additional studies have revealed that African Americans tend to report less body dissatisfaction than Caucasians, as well as a preference for a larger current figure and a larger ideal figure than Caucasians (Gluck & Geliebter, 2002;Miller & Gleaves, 2000). Further, when evaluating opposite sex body preferences, African American men find a larger female figure more attractive than do Caucasian men (Jackson & McGill, 1996;Thompson, Sargent, & Kemper, 1996). African American and Caucasian women prefer both thin and muscular builds for the opposite sex (Jackson & McGill, 1996).The majority of these studies examined urban/suburban populations. Little is known about the body image of rural adolescents. These individuals, because of their remote location and oftentimes low socio-economic status (Fries, Meyer, & Danish, 2001) This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript media images that promote the adoption of a thin body ideal. However, this issue has not been explored. If body image concerns exist, lack of rese...

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“…1 Other industrialized countries, including Taiwan, are beginning to experience an epidemic of excess body weight as peoples' lifestyles and diet became more westernized. [3][4][5][6] According to the National Nutritional and Health Survey in Taiwan, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.1, 24.6, and 24.8 kg/m 2 for age groups [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64], and 65 þ years in 1993-1996, representing increases of 1, 5 and 9%, respectively, since a 1986-1988 survey. 5 Evidence suggests that overweight and obesity are important determinants of chronic diseases (CDs), including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and respiratory problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship of excess body weight and health-related quality of life: evidence from a population study in Taiwan

2006

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Objective: Excess body weight is related to significant morbidity and mortality. However, less is known about the relationship of body weight to health-related quality of life (HRQOL), especially for Asian populations. We examined the relationship of excess weight and HRQOL in a general population sample from Taiwan. Research methods and procedures: This cross-sectional study used a national representative sample (n ¼ 14 221) from the 2001 Taiwan National Health Interview Survey. Body weight was categorized using body mass index (BMI in kg/m 2 ) as normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), and obese (X30). HRQOL was measured using the Taiwan version of the SF-36. We compared the body weight-HRQOL relationships by age, gender, and status of chronic condition, respectively. We especially used the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to examine the relationships of BMI and HRQOL by taking into account the correlations of HRQOL within households. Four models were developed to adjust sequentially for sets of covariates: Model 1 with no adjustment; Model 2 adjusting for sociodemographic variables; Model 3 adding chronic conditions; Model 4 further adding smoking status. Results: Unadjusted physical HRQOL was best for normal weight, worse for overweight, and worst for obese individuals. For unadjusted mental HRQOL, overweight subjects had at least as good mental domain scores of HRQOL as those with normal weight or obesity, depending on the subscales. As age increased, excess weight was associated with worse physical, but not mental HRQOL. Compared to men, women with excess weight showed a greater deficit in physical HRQOL. Multivariable analyses suggested that obesity was associated with worse physical HRQOL compared to overweight, which, in turn, was worse or comparable to normal weight. Specifically, in the model adjusting for demographic variables, the deficit in physical functioning and physical component scores for the obese vs normal weight were statistical significant (Po0.05) and clinically important difference (effect size X0.3). Both obesity and overweight were associated with higher mental component scores than normal weight, but the effect size was o0.3. Conclusion: In Taiwan, excess weight was related to worse physical, but not mental HRQOL. The lack of impact of increased body weight on mental health status presents a potential challenge to preventing the increases in obesity. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which excess weight affects specific domains of HRQOL, and to develop effective prevention strategies.

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Body Image: Gender, Ethnic, and Age Differences

Cited by 286 publications

References 14 publications

Overweight and weight dissatisfaction related to socio-economic position, integration and dietary indicators among South Asian immigrants in Oslo

Overweight and weight dissatisfaction related to socio-economic position, integration and dietary indicators among South Asian immigrants in Oslo

Gender and ethnic differences in body image and opposite sex figure preferences of rural adolescents

The relationship of excess body weight and health-related quality of life: evidence from a population study in Taiwan

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