This study aimed to prospectively examine the role of peer and media influences in the development of body satisfaction (incorporating the desire for thinness and satisfaction with appearance) in young girls, as well as the relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem. A sample of 97 girls 5-8 years of age completed individual interviews…

The effects of a five-day-a-week, moderate-intensity aerobic training program were studied in previously sedentary middle-aged women. After 10 weeks of graduated-length sessions of continuous exercise, the subjects showed a 20 percent improvement in maximal oxygen uptake but no change in body weight or composition. Results are discussed.…

This article evaluates equations for estimating body density and derived body composition measures in female athletes. Other equations were used to evaluate the "generalized" equations to see which were more accurate. Results are presented. (Author/DF)

Surveyed personal ad writers to examine the actual preferences of those seeking thin partners, those seeking physically fit partners, or those with no preference. Respondents indicated ideal and acceptable partner body sizes. Males in the three categories differed significantly in choice of an ideal figure, though actual figure size differences…

Neonatal microstructural development in the posterior limbs of the internal capsule (PLIC) was assessed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fractional anisotropy (FA) in 24 very-low-birthweight preterm infants at 37 weeks' gestational age and compared with the children's gait and motor deficits at 4 years of age. There were 14 participants with…

Research has found that depressed moods increase eating among persons who are dieting and among those characterized by high levels of weight fluctuation. To determine whether eating improves depressed moods among persons who score high on the weight fluctuation factor on the Restraint Scale (Herman, et al, 1978), 72 college women consumed either a…

In evaluating the viability of the "spot reduction" hypothesis, it was found that neither general exercise nor localized exercise is more effective than the other. (MM)

Results of this research suggest that cardiorespiratory and body adaptations were independent from the two modes of training (high resistance-slow rate/low resistance-fast rate exercise on the bicycle ergometer) used in the study. (MB)

Study of 955 9- to 18-year-olds at a competitive swimming camp revealed that many subjects had misperceptions about their body weights, particularly girls; swimmers' decisions to lose or gain weight were based on their perceptions more than on their actual weight; and others' opinions strongly influenced swimmers' opinions of their own weight.…

The paper describes a study of 168 college women to determine the extent to which preoccupation with weight and tendencies toward eating disorders are problems among female athletes. Results are presented. (Author/MT)

This paper shows that simple cardiovascular training can reduce the composition of body fat in college women. (RC)

Compared eating behaviors and alcohol drinking habits between female varsity college athletes and female controls (non-athletes). Data from a student survey indicated that self-reported problem drinking and eating behaviors existed in both groups at similar rates. There did not appear to be a significant relationship between self-reported alcohol…

In the present study we examined associations between young women's romantic relationships and their body image. Ninety-five heterosexual couples (women's mean age=22.46 and men's mean age=24.38) participated in this study. We examined young women's satisfaction with their own bodies, their "perceptions" of their significant others' satisfaction…