Compared self-concept of obese (N=28) and nonobese (N=58) female students in a junior nursing class. Found that obese students and students who considered themselves to be obese had lower self-esteem than did nonobese students. Revealed no relationships with regard to age of onset of obesity, and no significant relationships between social class…

Studied adolescent girls who were eating-disordered (N=41), athletes (N=87), or students (N=120) to determine their menstrual, dieting, and exercise patterns and their self-images. Found that eating-disordered subjects had extremely low scores on emotional tone and social relationships, suggesting that these dimensions may distinguish the…

Studied the existence of body build stereotypes, extent of identification with this stereotype, and the effect of this identification on children's self-evaluation. Found fat and skinny child stereotypes invariant across age and sex groups. The majority of children identified with the average child in all settings. (PAS)

Examined body dissatisfaction, physical attractiveness, and body mass index in adolescents at 13, 15, and 18 years of age. Found that sex differences in body dissatisfaction emerged between 13 and 15 years and were maintained. Girls' body dissatisfaction increased, whereas boys' decreased. Body dissatisfaction was weakly related to others' rating…

Background: This study addresses limitations of previous research by examining the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction within two developmental periods: childhood and adolescence. Methods: A sample of 448 boys and 508 girls completed self-report measures of global body image dissatisfaction. Weight and height of all participants were also…

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine whether Body Mass Index (BMI) and the subjective perception of body weight, and body shape satisfaction predict level of self-esteem and depression among female college students. Method: The sample comprised of 124 female college students ranging in age from 16-21 years. Self perception of…

The media's portrayal of the ideal body image has been shown to be a large determinant of one's body image perception. The desire to be excessively thin can be conceived of as an artifact of White-American culture largely due to the media's influence. This study looks at cultures that have had limited exposure to the American ideal and examines…

A longitudinal study was used to examine age differences in the role of body mass index (BMI) and sociocultural pressures in predicting changes in body image and strategies to both lose weight and increase muscles among 443 children aged between 8 and 12 years (207 boys, 236 girls) over a 16-month period. The strongest predictors of body image and…

Although commonly associated with girls and women, eating disorders do not discriminate. School nurses need to be aware that male students also can suffer from the serious health effects of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, anorexia athletica, and eating disorders not otherwise specified. Sports that focus on leanness and weight limits can add to a…

A discriminant function analysis identified variables that significantly differentiated bulimic (N=71) from nonbulimic (N=71) adolescent females within a high school setting. These variables included disturbed eating attitudes, negative perception of weight and body image, depressive symptomatology, and alcohol use. Implications for the etiology…

Body build stereotypes of average-weight and heavy females, ages 6, 15, and 19, were studied through adjective checklists and drawings of endomorphs, ectomorphs, and mesomorphs. Mesomorph drawings were favored and the endomorphs least liked. But heavy subjects rejected for themselves behavioral stereotypes previously applied to the endomorph…

Addresses issue of whether underweight, normal-weight, and overweight adolescent females who maintain perception of being too fat differ with respect to loneliness, hopelessness, and shyness from each other and from those who do not think they are fat. Results indicate that underweight girls with perception of being too fat suffer significantly…

This study examined the relationship between reading women's fashion magazines and the use of pathogenic dieting methods among 502 high school females. Reading these magazines does influence a female's decision to restrict calories or take diet pills. Further research is needed to examine factors that are antecedent to reading the magazines to…

The present study was designed to assess body mass index (BMI), self-esteem, parent and peer relations, negative affect, and perfectionism, as predictors of dieting, food preoccupation, and muscle preoccupation, in 326 preadolescent children (150 girls and 176 boys) aged between 8 and 10 years. Preadolescents were tested twice over a 10-month…

The incidence and extent of irrational beliefs in the obese were investigated as well as subsequent changes in such beliefs as a result of participation in a self-monitored weight control program. Subjects were 53 females who were a minimum of 10 pounds and an average of 32 pounds overweight. The obese sample was administered the Irrational…