Children’s body image and sociocultural influences

 This thesis has examined the factors which contribute to the growing problem of body dissatisfaction and associated body change strategies among children aged 8 to 10. The findings from this research will provide important direction for the development of intervention and prevention programs to promote body esteem among children.

Physical, policy, and sociocultural characteristics of the primary school environment are positively associated with children's physical activity during class time

The objective of this study was to develop a multidomain model to identify key characteristics of the primary school environment associated with children's physical activity (PA) during class-time.

Sociocultural influences on strategies to lose weight, gain weight, and increase muscles among ten cultural groups

This study determined how sociocultural messages to change one's body are perceived by adolescents from different cultural groups. In total, 4904 adolescents, including Australian, Chilean, Chinese, Indo-Fijian, Indigenous Fijian, Greek, Malaysian, Chinese Malaysian, Tongans in New Zealand, and Tongans in Tonga, were surveyed about messages from family, peers, and the media to lose weight, gain weight, and increase muscles. Groups were best differentiated by family pressure to gain weight. Girls were more likely to receive the messages from multiple sociocultural sources whereas boys were more likely to receive the messages from the family. Some participants in a cultural group indicated higher, and others lower, levels of these sociocultural messages. These findings highlight the differences in sociocultural messages across cultural groups, but also that adolescents receive contrasting messages within a cultural group. These results demonstrate the difficulty in representing a particular message as being characteristic of each cultural group.

Obesity, dietary choices, and sociocultural influences among Fijian adolescents

Obesity contributes to early deaths from non-communicable diseases in all Pacific Islands populations. Fiji is no exception; the prevalence of overweight and obesity has tripled since 1993 in both ethnic groups to different extents. This thesis provides better understanding of dietary patterns and relationships with body weight in adolescents, and their sociocultural influences, in order to identify effective and appropriate messages and messengers to motivate adolescents to improve their diets.

Sociocultural factors and perceptions associated with type 2 diabetes among sub-Saharan African migrants in Melbourne, Victoria

Aim: To explore how non-diabetic sub-Saharan African migrants residing in Melbourne, construct and interpret type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its risk factors and to provide an evidence-based theoretical framework to inform community-based prevention programs. Methods: Seven focus group discussions (two with women only, two with men only and three of mixed gender) were carried out among Ghanaian, Zimbabwean, Sudanese and Burundian migrants living in Melbourne (n = 61; age range: 18 to 61 years). Results: Three distinct themes emerged: not paying much attention to the threat of T2DM and othering; T2DM being outside the individuals' control; and entrapment within rich industrialised culture and lifestyle. Participants perceived T2DM to be a disease of the wealthy caused by intake of too much sugar and sedentary behaviour, which were particularly compounded by lifestyle-related changes upon migration to an industrialised country. However, they also perceived T2DM to be associated with bad luck. Conclusions: Culturally competent prevention and education programs are needed to increase health literacy and dispel religious and cultural myths about T2DM among sub-Saharan African migrants.

Personality and English as a foreign language learning in Aceh: a sociocultural approach

 This study explores the reciprocal relationship between personality and foreign language classroom learning from sociocultural perspectives. The findings indicate that personality and previous life experience impacted on the participants’ responses to the classroom communicative events in complex ways. Self-development occurred depending on the way participants utilized events and social circumstances.

A systematic review of body dissatisfaction and sociocultural messages related to the body among preschool children.

This systematic review examines body dissatisfaction and the influence of sociocultural messages related to body image among preschool children. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and 16 studies were included in the final analysis. Findings suggest that children under the age of 6 years old experience body dissatisfaction, however, the proportion of children who are dissatisfied varied from around 20% to 70%, depending on the method of assessment. The literature was divided on whether preschool aged girls experience more body dissatisfaction than boys. Parental influence appears to be an important factor in the development of preschool children's body dissatisfaction and attitudes. However, more research is needed to understand the influences of children's peers and the media. The need for more sensitive measures of body dissatisfaction and prevention programs for preschool children is discussed.