Tag Archive: body mass index bmi

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Images in magazines and on television increase body dissatisfaction

December 16th, 2011 / tags:, , , , , , , / categories: Uncategorized /

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2011) — Adolescents who read magazines and watch television contents that deal with the concept of image prove to be unhappier with their own bodies. Girls are more susceptible to experiencing a lower perception of their physical appearance. Body dissatisfaction is linked to the type of content that is consumed (diet, beauty, health or music videos) rather than the frequency of exposure.

María Calado, lead author of the study and researcher at the Meixoeiro Hospital in Vigo explains that “although the relationship between exposure to magazines and television and body dissatisfaction exists, it is not a direct one. There are psychological variables that can moderate this relationship, such as eating disorders, self-esteem or the internalisation of a thin body being the ideal.”

Published in Women’s Health Issues, the study assesses the relationship that exposure to magazines and television, the above mentioned psychological variables and body mass index (BMI) have with body dissatisfaction in terms of gender. It also determines what factors can foretell such dissatisfaction.

For this purpose, the researchers analysed a representative sample group of 1165 Spanish secondary school students between the ages of 14 and 16 years. The results show that body dissatisfaction is linked to exposure to certain types of media content which deals with body image (diet, beauty, health or music videos) rather than the frequency of exposure.

Men and women with body dissatisfaction display differences which depend on the studied psychological variables. Furthermore, “the effect is seen mainly in women,” states Calado, who adds that “other pressures are exerted on men that are mainly linked to achieving a muscular body.”

Although the women had a lower BMI than the men, they displayed greater body dissatisfaction (16.5% in women as opposed to 5.4% in men), internalisation of the ideal body, social comparison, eating disorders and low self-esteem. “What is more, high body dissatisfaction in men is associated with a lower exposure to fitness content on television and magazines,” outlines the researcher.

The authors of the study stress that in the future the ways in which the media can affect internalisation of physical ideals should be studied. This could form the basis of developing body image, diet and weight alterations.

Calado concludes that “this study could be very beneficial for the government with regards to promoting a positive body image and could shed new light on health prevention for health professionals.”

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Plataforma SINC, via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

  1. María Calado, María Lameiras, Ana R. Sepulveda, Yolanda Rodriguez, María V. Carrera. The Association Between Exposure to Mass Media and Body Dissatisfaction Among Spanish Adolescents. Women’s Health Issues, 2011; 21 (5): 390 DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2011.02.013

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Article source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028082005.htm

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Obesity Less Harmful to Self-Esteem in Black Women: Study

December 14th, 2011 / tags:, , , , , , , / categories: Uncategorized /

TUESDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) — Obese black women have a
better weight-related quality of life than white women with the same
weight, according to a new U.S. study.

The researchers found that black women are more likely to be concerned
about possible physical limitations caused by overweight and obesity,
rather than the potential psychological consequences.

In the study, investigators analyzed data collected between 2000 and
2010 from 172 black and 171 white obese women. The women filled out a
questionnaire that examined five quality-of-life areas: physical function,
self-esteem, sexual life, public distress and work.

Among all the women, quality-of-life fell as body mass index (BMI)
rose. BMI is a measurement of overweight and obesity. However, at similar
BMIs, black women consistently had higher quality-of-life scores than
white women and self-esteem was particularly high among black women,
according to Tiffany Cox, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and
colleagues.

The study authors noted that black women are typically more accepting
of larger body sizes, which may explain why their quality of life is less
affected by weight.

The study was released online in advance of publication in an upcoming
print issue of the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.

“The implications of this relationship between weight and quality of
life in black women remain unclear. While the highest quality of life is
desirable as an indicator of overall well-being, black women’s perception
of experiencing a high quality of life despite having a high BMI may also
dampen motivation for attempting weight loss. Additional research is
needed to understand the potentially bidirectional relationship between
weight and quality of life in black women,” Cox commented in a journal
news release.

In the United States, about 80 percent of black women over the age of
20 are overweight or obese, according to background information in the
news release.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about overweight and obesity.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/obesity-less-harmful-self-esteem-black-women-study-190412553.html

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Obesity and depression independently increase health costs

December 13th, 2011 / tags:, , , , , , / categories: Uncategorized /

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2011) — Obesity and depression both dramatically increase health care costs, but they mainly act separately, according to a study published in the November 2011 Journal of General Internal Medicine by Group Health Research Institute scientists. Gregory Simon, MD, MPH, a Group Health psychiatrist and Group Health Research Institute senior investigator, led the research.

“Previous research shows that both depression and obesity are associated with higher health care costs,” he said. “But depression and obesity often occur together, so it was important to know if the relationship between obesity and cost is really due to depression — or vice versa.”

Simon and his colleagues tested whether depression confounds the increase in health care use that is associated with obesity. Confounding means an apparent connection — such as the link between increased health care costs and obesity — is influenced or even caused by a third factor. In this study, the authors tested if depression confounds the increase in health care seen in obese patients.

The study used telephone interviews to determine obesity and depression, and Group Health’s extensive medical records to calculate health care costs for 4,462 women aged 40-65. All were enrolled in Group Health Cooperative, a nonprofit health care system in Washington and northern Idaho. Obesity was measured as body mass index (BMI), a standard obesity measure that is calculated from height and weight. A BMI below 25 is considered normal weight, 25-30 considered overweight, and over 30 is considered obese. Depression was measured with a 9-item American Psychiatric Association questionnaire.

The researchers found:

  • In middle-aged women, health care costs increased with obesity. Specifically, costs increased 65 percent in women with a BMI of 30-35, and 157 percent in women with a BMI higher than 35, compared to women of normal weight.
  • The trend was similar for all types of health care that the researchers examined: primary care, outpatient prescriptions, specialist visits, inpatient care, and mental health care.
  • Health care costs increased with higher depression scores, but depression was a not a major confounder of the obesity results.
  • Even accounting for depression, health costs increased with every rise in BMI category.

The study concluded that in this population of women, obesity is associated with higher health care costs, but not because of co-occurring depression. Similarly, depression is associated with higher costs, but not because of co-occurring obesity. These higher costs have an economic impact. Increased costs associated with depression were spread across all types of health care, not just mental health care.

“Obesity and depression are both very common,” Dr. Simon said, “so the increased costs we find add up to a very large amount in the general population.” The relationships among obesity, depression, and chronic illness related to obesity are complex, as are the effects of depression on behavior and health. But one thing is clear, the study’s authors said: Effective obesity prevention is a crucial factor in tackling our rising health care costs.

The National Institute of Mental Health funded the work.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Gregory E. Simon, David Arterburn, Paul Rohde, Evette J. Ludman, Jennifer A. Linde, Belinda H. Operskalski, Robert W. Jeffery. Obesity, Depression, and Health Services Costs Among Middle-Aged Women. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2011; 26 (11): 1284 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-011-1774-x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Article source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031220558.htm

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