Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Aims: To explore the relationship between self-esteem, health knowledge, chronic dieting and perceived body size and shape.

Method: The study design was cross-sectional in nature; 41 women from diet and health clubs participated by completing a questionnaire containing scales that assessed levels of self-esteem, health knowledge and chronic dieting. They also responded to a body shape accuracy instrument that was designed to measure accurately the percentage of over- or underestimation of body size and shape.

Results: Correlational analyses showed that there was a statistically significant negative relationship between self-esteem and chronic dieting and a significant positive relationship between chronic dieting and health knowledge. Chi squared (χ ² ) analysis revealed that women with higher levels of health knowledge had low self-esteem and that low self-esteem women were significantly more likely than women with high self-esteem to underestimate their body size.

Conclusions: Levels of health knowledge and self-esteem appear to play a complex role in chronic dieting and subjective perceptions of body shape and it is an area that warrants further investigation. The body shape scale proved to be a successful instrument and further trials using this scale are recommended.

Keywords

health knowledge self-esteem chronic dieting body image accuracy

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

McClendon BT , Prentice-Dunn S. Reducing skin cancer risk: An intervention based on Protection Motivation Theory. Journal of Health Psychology 2001; 6: 321-328

Hancock C. Change4Life campaign. The Lancet 2009 ; 373: 720-721

Hawkes N.

National obesity strategy: What’s the big idea?

British Medical Journal 2008; 337: a2548

O’Dea JA , Abraham S. Control, eating disorders and body image in Australian trainee home economics and physical education teachers . Journal of Nutritional Education 2001; 33: 332-340

Carter JC , Stewart A. , Dunn NVJ , Fairburn CG

Primary prevention of eating disorders: Might it do more harm than good?

International Journal of Eating Disorders 1997; 22: 167-172

Wardle J. , Parmenter K. , Waller J. Nutrition knowledge and food intake. Appetite 2000; 34: 269-275

McFarland B. , Baker-Baumann T. Shame and Body Image : Culture and the Compulsive Eater. Florida: Health Communications, 1990

Grogan S. Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women and Children . London: Routledge, 1999

Himes SM , Thompson KJ Fat stigmatization in television shows and movies: A content analysis . Obesity 2007; 15: 712-718

10.

Williamson DA , Gleaves DH , Watkins PC , Schlundt DG Validation of self-ideal body size discrepancy as a measure of body dissatisfaction. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioural Assessment 1993 ; 15: 57-68

11.

Kostanski M. , Gullone E. Adolescent body image dissatisfaction: Relationships with self-esteem, anxiety and depression controlling for body mass. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2003; 39: 255-262

12.

Rasheed P. Perception of body weight and self-reported eating and exercise behaviour among obese and non-obese women in Saudi Arabia. Public Health 1998; 112: 409-414

13.

Beals KA , Manore MM The prevalence and consequences of subclinical eating disorders in female athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition 1994; 4: 175-195

14.

Grodner M. Forever dieting: Chronic dieting syndrome. Journal of Nutritional Education 1992; 24: 207-10

15.

Garner DM , Olmsted MP , Polivy J. , Garfinkel PE Comparisons between weight-preoccupied women and anorexia. Psycholosomatic Medicine 1984; 46: 255-266

16.

Charles N. , Kerr M. Food for feminist thought. The Sociological Review 1986; 34: 537-572

17.

Gingras J. , Fitzpatrick J. , McCargar L. Body image of chronic dieters: Lowered appearance evaluation and body satisfaction . Journal of the American Diet Association 2004; 104: 1589-1592

18.

Rosenberg M. Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965

19.

Holford P. The Optimum Nutrition Bible. London: Judy Piatkus, 1997

An exploration of the relationship between self-esteem,health knowledge,chronic dieting and body shape accuracy

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References