Body size perception of African women (25-44 years) in Manguang

Venter, Francina C.; Walsh, Corinna M.; Slabber, M; Bester, Christina J.

doi:10.4314/jfecs.v37i1.48942

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Comparable findings suggesting that women would rather be a little overweight have also been reported in studies involving South African women (Swami et al 2010;Venter et al 2009). Nonetheless, such views about body size could be counter-effective in helping women in Ghana maintain to a normal weight in the face of the rising obesity in the country.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Perceived ideal body size of Ghanaian women: “Not too skinny, but not too fat”

et al. 2017

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Body size issues are gaining public health attention because of the fast rising epidemic of overweight and obesity across the globe. This study explored Ghanaian women's subjective perceptions regarding ideal body size for women.A purposive sampling strategy was employed in recruiting 36 women across the body weight spectrum from Tamale (n=17) and Accra (n=19) in Ghana. Qualitative data were obtained from in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Data from the interviews were analysed deductively.The mean body mass index of participants was 33.5±10 kg/m 2 : 16 of the participants were obese, 8 overweight, 11 normal weight, and one underweight. The participants almost unanimously had a preference for an ideal body size slightly above the normal, but not necessarily obese. Typically described as "not too skinny, but not too fat", this preferred ideal reflected a fuller, curvier and shapelier, as opposed to the western ideal of thinner body type. Women often felt pressured by peers and family members to have a slightly heavier body size.Health education efforts are needed to focus on messages that seek to challenge existing body size perceptions that may inhibit women's willingness to maintain a healthy body weight.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Perceived ideal body size of Ghanaian women: “Not too skinny, but not too fat”

et al. 2017

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“…These adjectives were adopted from previous South African studies that examined issues related to the body image of women [27,28]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

2011

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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.

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“…Other possible reasons may be the reluctance of overweight and obese patients to change their eating habits due to the cultural acceptability of being overweight that has been reported in the Free State province. 31 We acknowledge the following limitations. The percentage of female participants that were included in the study was higher than the percentage of male participants, yet data of the two genders were not analysed separately.…”

Section: Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diabetes-related knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Free State province, South Africa

Roux

Walsh

Reid

et al. 2018

South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global health problem with high morbidity and mortality in patients who are mostly still economically active. The growing incidence and health implications for those affected make T2DM a major public health issue. Objectives: To compile a demographic, anthropometric and knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) profile of adult patients with T2DM in the public health sector of the Free State province, South Africa. Design: A descriptive observational study was conducted. Setting: A total of 255 participants attending public health facilities in the Free State were interviewed. Outcome Measures: Questionnaires were completed in an interview to determine demographics and KAP. Anthropometric measurements were obtained by standard techniques. Results: The majority of the participants (n = 222; 87.1%) were black women from urban areas, who were overweight and obese. The median age at diagnosis was 48 years (range 15-80 years), and 25 participants (9.8%) lacked formal schooling. In 212 participants (83.1%), a waist circumference above cutoff points was observed. Only half of the participants knew the normal range for blood glucose. Approximately 80% felt that they would be a different person if they did not have diabetes. Although 96.1% of participants were knowledgeable about the benefits of physical exercise, only 31.0% reported exercising on a daily basis. A statistically significant association was found between knowledge and attitudes, indicating that better knowledge about diabetes could be associated with a more positive attitude towards diabetes. Conclusion: Poor knowledge, a negative attitude and poor practices related to diabetes were observed in a very high percentage of participants, which may contribute to morbidity and mortality. The fact that knowledge was associated with attitude indicates that interventions aimed at improving knowledge could benefit patients in more than one way. Interventions to equip patients to successfully manage their condition are urgently required.

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Body size perception of African women (25-44 years) in Manguang

Cited by 15 publications

References 0 publications

Perceived ideal body size of Ghanaian women: “Not too skinny, but not too fat”

Perceived ideal body size of Ghanaian women: “Not too skinny, but not too fat”

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

Diabetes-related knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Free State province, South Africa

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