A comparison of body-image dissatisfaction and eating disturbance among Australian and Hong Kong women

The current cross-cultural study was designed to test the validity of a biopsychosocial mediation model which hypothesized that a variety of biological, psychological and social variables would have their mode of action upon eating disturbance through the mediation of body-image dissatisfaction. The biopsychosocial variables examined were body mass, self-esteem, weight-related teasing, previous dieting and sociocultural influences. Forty-eight Hong Kong and 100 Australian females aged 17-28 years were assessed. Results revealed no significant difference between the groups of women in levels of body dissatisfaction and eating disturbance; however, different variables in the biopsychosocial model appeared to have contributed to their predisposition to these conditions. The findings suggest that there appear to exist important cultural differences in various aspects of dieting and body image in young women. Implications for prevention, treatment and future research are discussed. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Media influence on the body image of children and adolescents

To study the media messages portrayed to children, 925 students, from 9 to up to 14 years of age, completed “The Sociocultural Influences Questionnaire.” The media section is the focus of this paper, and the responses from three questions were selected to examine the media's influence to be slimmer, increase weight, or increase muscle size. While the girls and boys exhibited different levels of agreement with each media influence, both genders disagreed that media messages were implying they should gain weight. This is in agreement with the belief that the media perpetuates the ideal of thinness and there is a negative stigma associated with being overweight.

Relating body mass index to figural stimuli: population-based normative data for Caucasians

OBJECTIVE: To establish body mass index (BMI) norms for standard figural stimuli using a large Caucasian population-based sample. In addition, we sought to determine the effectiveness of the figural stimuli to identify individuals as obese or thin. DESIGN: All Caucasian twins born in Virginia between 1915 and 1971 were identified by public birth record. In addition, 3347 individual twins responded to a letter published in the newsletter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). All adult twins (aged 18 and over) from both of these sources and their family members were mailed a 16 page 'Health and Lifestyle' questionnaire. SUBJECTS: BMI and silhouette data were available on 16 728 females and 11 366 males ranging in age from 18- 100. MEASUREMENTS: Self-report information on height-weight, current body size, desired body size and a discrepancy score using standard figural stimuli. RESULTS: Gender- and age-specific norms are presented linking BMI to each of the figural stimuli. Additional norms for desired body size and discrepancy scores are also presented. Receiver operating curves (ROC) indicate that the figural stimuli are effective in classifying individuals as obese or thin. CONCLUSIONS: With the establishment of these norms, the silhouettes used in standard body image assessment can now be linked to BMI. Differences were observed between women and men in terms of desired body size and discrepancy scores, with women preferring smaller sizes. The figural stimuli are a robust technique for classifying individuals as obese or thin.

Inactive Australian college students' preferred activities, sources of assistance, and motivators

Participation in regular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality as well as providing numerous health benefits.' The steepest decline in physical activity occurs during adolescence (approximately 15 to 18 years of age) and young adulthood (20 to 25 years).(2) Australian population studies have found that levels of physical inactivity are twice as high for those 20 to 29 years old as they are for those under 20 years old.(3,4) As college students move through this period of changing roles within family and peer groups, they may be expected to have specific preferences and expected outcomes for physical activity participation that are different from those they had previously as high school students.(5) Studies of physical activity determinants suggest that while there are some similarities between males and females, there are differences in preferences for specific types of activity.(6) Calfas et al.(5) found that women reported body image factors (weight loss, dissatisfaction with body) to be more motivating, while young men rated strength (muscle gain, muscle tone) and social aspects (organized competition, meeting people) of physical activity more highly than did young women. We examined preferred physical activities, sources of assistance to be more active, and perceived motivators for activity in a sample of inactive college students. Differences between males and females were examined, and the implications for campus-based physical activity promotion strategies are considered.

The Cotard syndrome. Report of two patients: with a review of the extended spectrum of 'délire des négations'

The Cotard syndrome is characterized by the delusion where an individual insists that he has died or part of his body has decayed. Although described classically in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, physical disorders including migraine, tumour and trauma have also been associated with the syndrome. Two new cases are described here, the one associated with arteriovenous malformations and the other with probable multiple sclerosis. The delusion has been embarrassing to each patient. Study of such cases may have wider implications for the understanding of the psychotic interpretation of body image, for example that occurring in anorexia nervosa.

Disrupted cortical proprioceptive representation evokes symptoms of peculiarity, foreignness and swelling, but not pain

Objectives. It has been proposed that disruption of the internal proprioceptive representation, via incongruent sensory input, may underpin pathological pain states, but experimental evidence relies on conflicting visual input, which is not clinically relevant. We aimed to determine the symptomatic effect of incongruent proprioceptive input, imparted by vibration of the wrist tendons, which evokes the illusion of perpetual wrist flexion and disrupts cortical proprioceptive representation. Methods. Twenty-nine healthy and naive volunteers reported symptoms during five conditions: control, active and passive wrist flexion, extensor carpi radialis tendon vibration to evoke illusion of perpetual wrist flexion, and ulnar styloid (sham) vibration. No advice was given about possible illusions. Results. Twenty-one subjects reported the illusion of perpetual wrist flexion during tendon vibration. There was no effect of condition or of whether or not subjects reported an illusion on discomfort/pain (P > 0.28). Peculiarity, swelling and foreignness were greater during tendon vibration than during the other conditions, and greater during tendon vibration in those who reported an illusion of wrist flexion than in those who did not (P < 0.05 for all). Symptoms were reported by at least two subjects in each condition and four subjects reported systemic symptoms (e.g. nausea). Conclusions. In healthy volunteers, incongruent proprioceptive input does not cause discomfort or pain but does evoke feelings of peculiarity, swelling and foreignness in the limb.

Assessment of image quality of a standard and two dose-reducing protocols in paediatric pelvic CT

Background: Concerns exist regarding the effect of radiation dose from paediatric pelvic CT scans and the potential later risk of radiation-induced neoplasm and teratogenic outcomes in these patients. Objective: To assess the diagnostic quality of CT images of the paediatric pelvis using either reduced mAs or increased pitch compared with standard settings. Materials and methods: A prospective study of pelvic CT scans of 105 paediatric patients was performed using one of three protocols: (1) 31 at a standard protocol of 200 mA with rotation time of 0.75 s at 120 kVp and a pitch factor approximating 1.4; (2) 31 at increased pitch factor approaching 2 and 200 mA; and (3) 43 at a reduced setting of 100 mA and a pitch factor of 1.4. All other settings remained the same in all three groups. Image quality was assessed by radiologists blinded to the protocol used in each scan. Results: No significant difference was found between the quality of images acquired at standard settings and those acquired at half the standard mAs. The use of increased pitch factor resulted in a higher proportion of poor images. Conclusions: Images acquired at 120 kVp using 75 mAs are equivalent in diagnostic quality to those acquired at 150 mAs. Reduced settings can provide useful imaging of the paediatric pelvis and should be considered as a standard protocol in these situations.

Induction of metallothionein in human skin by routine exposure to sunlight: Evidence for a systemic response and enhanced induction at certain body sites

Expression of metallothionein, an antioxidant induced by a variety of stimuli including ultraviolet light, was quantitated by immunohistochemistry in the skin of males aged over 50 who had known short- and long-term exposures to sunlight. Skin punch biopsies were taken from two sites in each subject: the hand in all subjects and a range of other sites matched to patients with a previously excised primary melanoma. Metallothionein expression (strongest in the basal layers of the epidermis and primarily nuclear) was associated with both short- and long-term exposure to sunlight. A plateau of staining intensity was reached after 3 h sun exposure, within the previous 3 d before biopsy. Expression was also elevated in the nonexposed skin sites of subjects who had recent sun exposure, indicating a systemic response to exposure of remote sites. Using the skin of the hand to normalize responses to chronic exposure between individuals, the systemically modulated response to sunlight was significantly greater on the unexposed back than on other sites. The possibility of ultraviolet-induced cytokines selectively modifying the response of skin on a site-specific basis was investigated. The circulating leukocytes, but not lymphocytes, of two individuals exposed to 1 minimal erythema dose whole-body solar-simulated ultraviolet showed increased interleukin-6 mRNA 4 h after exposure. Interleukin-6 was not directly induced in these cell populations 4 h after ultraviolet A or ultraviolet B irradiation ex vivo . Leukocytes may therefore contribute to and amplify the systemic effects of ultraviolet-induced interleukin-6 and metallothionein expression.

The development of preferences for specific body shapes

Research with adults has shown a preference for average-weight female figures with waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) of 0.7, and average weight male figures with waist-to-hip ratios of 0.9. This study investigated the development of preferences for WHR sizes as well as preferences for specific body weights. Five-hundred eleven children ranging in age from 6 to 17 were presented with drawings of 12 male and 12 female silhouettes varying in weight and WHR and asked to select one they thought looked the nicest or most attractive. The youngest children showed preferences for the underweight figures, changing to consistent preferences for the average weight figures in the teenage years. The developmental curves for waist-to-hip ratio preferences were linear, changing gradually over time to become more adult-like. Potential developmental models for the development of preferences for specific body shapes are considered in relation to these data.

Spontaneous transitions in the coordination of a whole body task

This paper describes an example of spontaneous transitions between qualitatively different coordination patterns during a cyclic lifting and lowering task. Eleven participants performed 12 trials of repetitive lifting and lowering in a ramp protocol in which the height of the lower shelf was raised or lowered 1 cm per cycle between 10 and 50 cm. Two distinct patterns of coordination were evident: a squat technique in which moderate range of hip, knee and ankle movement was utilised and ankle plantar-flexion occurred simultaneously with knee and hip extension; and a stoop technique in which the range of knee movement was reduced and knee and hip extension was accompanied by simultaneous ankle dorsi-flexion. Abrupt transitions from stoop to squat techniques were observed during descending trials, and from squat to stoop during ascending trials. Indications of hysteresis was observed in that transitions were more frequently observed during descending trials, and the average shelf height at the transition was 5 cm higher during ascending trials. The transitions may be a consequence of a trade-off between the biomechanical advantages of each technique and the influence of the lift height on this trade-off.

Correcting physical activity energy expenditure for body size in young children

Being able to compare the energy cost of physical activity across and between populations is important. However, energy expenditure is related to body size, so it is necessary to appropriately adjust for differences in body size when comparisons are made. This study examined the relationship between the daily energy cost of activity and body weight in 47 children aged 6-10 years. Log-log regression showed weight(1.0) to be an inappropriate adjustment for activity energy expenditure in children, with a more valid adjustment being weight(0.3). Clearly, both weight dependent and non-weight dependent activities are part of everyday living in children. This balance influences how energy expenditure is correctly adjusted for body size. Investigators interpreting data of energy expenditure in children from children of different body sizes need to take this into consideration.

Pedagogical work and the 'cult of the body': Considering the role of HPE in the context of the 'new public health'

Physical education, now often explicitly identified with health in contemporary school curricula, continues to be implicated in the (re)production of the 'cult of the body'. We argue that HPE is a form of health promotion that attempts to 'make' healthy citizens of young people in the context of the 'risk society'. In our view there is still work to be done in understanding how and why physical education (as HPE) continues to be implicated in the reproduction of values associated with the cult of body. We are keen to understand why HPE continues to be ineffective in helping young people gain some measure of analytic and embodied 'distance' from the problematic aspects of the cult of the body. This paper offers an analysis of this enduring issue by using some contemporary analytic discourses including 'governmentality', 'risk society' and the 'new public health'.

Habitual physical activity and physical activity intensity: their relation to body composition in 5.0-10.5 year old children

Background: Concerns of a decrease in physical activity levels (PALs) of children and a concurrent increase in childhood obesity exist worldwide. The exact relation between these two parameters however has as yet to be fully defined in children. Objective: This study examined the relation in 47 children, aged 5–10.5 y (mean age 8.4plusminus0.9 y) between habitual physical activity, minutes spent in moderate, vigorous and hard intensity activity and body composition parameters. Design: Total energy expenditure (TEE) was calculated using the doubly labelled water technique and basal metabolic rate (BMR) was predicted from Schofield's equations. PAL was determined by PAL=TEE/BMR. Time spent in moderate, vigorous and hard intensity activity was determined by accelerometry, using the Tritrac-R3D. Body fatness and body mass index (BMI) were used as the two measures of body composition. Results: Body fat and BMI were significantly inversely correlated with PAL (r=-0.43, P=0.002 and r=-0.45, P=0.001). Times spent in vigorous activity and hard activity were significantly correlated to percentage body fat (r=-0.44, P=0.004 and r=-0.39, P=0.014), but not BMI. Children who were in the top tertiles for both vigorous activity and hard activity had significantly lower body fat percentages than those in the middle and lowest tertiles. Moderate intensity activity was not correlated with measures of body composition. Conclusions: As well as showing a significant relation between PAL and body composition, these data intimate that there may be a threshold of intensity of physical activity that is influential on body fatness. In light of world trends showing increasing childhood obesity, this study supports the need to further investigate the importance of physical activity for children.