Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications

BMI cut-offs were used in conjunction with the Children‘s Body Image Scale to provide a comparison between actual BMI and perceived and ideal body images among 90 low socioeconomic children aged seven to 10 years. A third of the sample was classified as overweight or obese, with a higher incidence a...

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Main Authors: Pettigrew, Simone, Pescud, M., Donovan, Robert
Other Authors: Sophia B. Greene
Format: Book Chapter
Published: Nova Science Publishers 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/7453
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author Pettigrew, Simone
Pescud, M.
Donovan, Robert
author2 Sophia B. Greene
author_facet Sophia B. Greene
Pettigrew, Simone
Pescud, M.
Donovan, Robert
author_sort Pettigrew, Simone
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description BMI cut-offs were used in conjunction with the Children‘s Body Image Scale to provide a comparison between actual BMI and perceived and ideal body images among 90 low socioeconomic children aged seven to 10 years. A third of the sample was classified as overweight or obese, with a higher incidence among boys (38% versus 28% for girls). Two-thirds underestimated their current body size and only around 5% considered themselves overweight or obese. Just over 70% selected an underweight ideal body size. Intervention developers thus face the dual challenge of providing children and their families with the information and skills they need to prevent childhood obesity while addressing a lack of awareness of actual body weight among children that is combined with an unrealistic ideal body size preference. This task is complicated by the need to minimise weight concerns that can result in eating disorders. The results suggest the need for a family-based approach that targets parents of young children to increase awareness of healthy body sizes and lifestyle behaviours before children have become overweight, formed inaccurate weight-related beliefs, and/or become dissatisfied with their bodies.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-74532017-01-30T10:59:59Z Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications Pettigrew, Simone Pescud, M. Donovan, Robert Sophia B. Greene BMI cut-offs were used in conjunction with the Children‘s Body Image Scale to provide a comparison between actual BMI and perceived and ideal body images among 90 low socioeconomic children aged seven to 10 years. A third of the sample was classified as overweight or obese, with a higher incidence among boys (38% versus 28% for girls). Two-thirds underestimated their current body size and only around 5% considered themselves overweight or obese. Just over 70% selected an underweight ideal body size. Intervention developers thus face the dual challenge of providing children and their families with the information and skills they need to prevent childhood obesity while addressing a lack of awareness of actual body weight among children that is combined with an unrealistic ideal body size preference. This task is complicated by the need to minimise weight concerns that can result in eating disorders. The results suggest the need for a family-based approach that targets parents of young children to increase awareness of healthy body sizes and lifestyle behaviours before children have become overweight, formed inaccurate weight-related beliefs, and/or become dissatisfied with their bodies. 2011 Book Chapter http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/7453 Nova Science Publishers restricted
spellingShingle Pettigrew, Simone
Pescud, M.
Donovan, Robert
Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications
title Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications
title_full Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications
title_fullStr Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications
title_full_unstemmed Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications
title_short Low SES children's BMI scores and their perceived and ideal body images: Intervention implications
title_sort low ses children's bmi scores and their perceived and ideal body images: intervention implications
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/7453