A prospective study of pressures from parents, peers, and the media on extreme weight change behaviors among adolescent boys and girls

The current study was designed to evaluate the role of sociocultural influences over a 16 month period on strategies to lose weight, extreme weight loss strategies, and strategies to increase muscles among adolescent boys (n=344) and girls (n=246). All participants completed measures of body dissatisfaction, body image importance, strategies to lose weight, extreme weight loss strategies, and strategies to increase muscles. Measures of perceived pressure to lose weight or increase muscles from mother, father, best male friend, best female friend and the media were also evaluated. Data were gathered on three occasions, 8 months apart. The results demonstrated that boys showed a decrease in strategies to lose weight and increase muscles over time, whereas girls showed an increase. Both boys and girls showed an increase in extreme weight loss strategies with girls demonstrating a greater increase than boys. The sociocultural influences generally were perceived by girls to relate to messages to lose weight, whereas for boys they were perceived to relate to increasing muscles. Messages from parents, particularly fathers, were strong predictors of both strategies to lose weight and increase muscles among boys, with the media and best male friend playing a limited role. For girls, the strongest influences were mothers and best female friends, with few influences from fathers or the media. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the importance of the various sociocultural influences in shaping body change strategies among young adolescent boys and girls, and the implications of these findings for intervention programs for adolescents.

Body image attitudes and concerns among indigenous Fijian and European Australian adolescent girls

Research on body image has primarily been conducted among Western women who highly value the thin ideal body size. There has been limited research that has examined body image attitudes among Fijian adolescent girls who are exposed to both traditional sociocultural pressures that promote a larger body size and Western pressures that promote slimness. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, we examined the factors associated with body image attitudes and concerns among a sample of 16 indigenous Fijian and 16 European Australian adolescent girls aged between 13–18 years. An inductive analysis of girls’ responses indicated that both groups of girls experienced body image concerns including body dissatisfaction, a preference for thinness and concerns associated with weight gain. These findings have implications for our understanding of the role of culture in shaping body image among girls and may prove useful in the development of future survey research that can be implemented among both Fijian and Western adolescents.

The impact of communications and understanding on the success of business/IT alignment

This article reports on an investigation of IS stakeholders communication and mutual understanding, and their impact on the success of business / IT alignment. In particular, by following a hermeneutic study of transcripts of two focus groups and several interviews conducted with senior business and IT executives, the paper explores the issues of modern business context and practices, project scope and structure, trust, language and nomenclature, and the barriers to the effective stakeholder communication and  understanding. The study results are finally compared against the standard model of business and IT alignment. The main unexpected finding being executives' pre-occupation with issues of "marginal" value to the alignment model, such as day-to-day management of communicative and understanding effectiveness, as opposed to the fundamental issues of strategy and infrastructure fit.

Being normal is the only way to be : adolescent perspectives on gender and school

A book for teachers and parents of adolescents. Draws on the writings of teenage boys and girls and uses these to build specific knowledge about what it means to be an adolescent at school, what it means to be Cool and Normal, and the effects of these social constructions on learning and relationships.

Discordance of international adiposity classifications in Australian boys and girls - The LOOK study

Background: Various charts based on body mass index (BMI) and per cent body fat (%BF) are used to classify childhood body composition but outcomes may vary.

Aim: The study investigated variation in incidences of childhood obesity as depicted by four classification charts.

Subjects and methods: BMI and DXA-derived %BF were assessed in 741 children. Incidences of overweight and obesity were compared between two BMI charts and two bioelectrical impedance (BIA)-based %BF charts.

Results: The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF)-adopted BMI chart designated 21%, 6% (boys), and 26%, 9% (girls) as overweight and obese, respectively. Corresponding figures using the USA CDC BMI chart were 27%, 11% (boys) and 27%, 12% (girls). Using a USA-derived %BF chart incidences were 17%, 2% (boys) and 21%, 8% (girls) and using a UK-derived %BF chart 51%, 24% (boys) and 53%, 36% (girls). Sensitivity of BMI varied according to the %BF reference chart.

Conclusions: In contrast to the BMI-based charts, there were considerable variations in depicted incidences of obesity between the %BF-based charts. These discordances were considered to result from previously reported variation within and between BIA and DXA %BF assessments underlying the charts. The present study highlights the need for valid, reliable, unchanging BIA and DXA procedures.

Body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors in Chile : the role of sociocultural factors

With interest in body image and body change behaviors growing around the world, there has been surprisingly little research conducted in Latin America on these issues. In order to gain some understanding of them in this context, this study investigated body image and body change behaviors, and the sociocultural factors that may influence them, among 337 Chilean adolescents aged 12–18 years. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed BMI, body dissatisfaction, strategies to lose weight and strategies to increase muscle bulk. In addition, perceived pressure from family, peers, and the media to change body shape was evaluated. Results were partially consistent with those reported in Western nations. Girls were found to report greater body dissatisfaction than boys, but no difference was found between males and females in perceived pressure from adults in the family or from older siblings/cousins to lose weight. However, girls experienced higher levels of perceived pressure to lose weight from the media than boys, and boys reported greater perceived pressure from peers to lose weight than girls, and more pressure than girls from all sources to increase muscle bulk. These findings are discussed in relation to research conducted in other contexts, and it is concluded that findings from other locations may not be applied universally.

Sociocultural influences on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors among Malaysian adolescents

Little research on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors, and the sociocultural influences on them, has been undertaken in non-Western contexts. The current study investigated these variables and the relationships between them among a sample of 529 Malaysian high school students (103 Malays, 344 Chinese and 82 Indians), who completed a set of measures in classroom settings. Chinese girls were more dissatisfied with their bodies than Chinese boys, but no gender difference was found for Malay and Indian participants. Girls were more likely to engage in behaviors to lose weight, and boys were more likely to engage in behaviors to increase muscle. The influence of sociocultural factors on body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors was limited and varied across both sex and ethnicity. Findings are discussed in relation to Western research, and it is concluded that cultural nuances need to be considered when investigating these phenomena.

Declining participation in computing education : an Australia perspective on the "gender and lT" problem

Participation in post-compulsory computing education has declined over recent years, both in the senior years of secondary school and at university. This trend has been observed in most developed countries, despite reported and projected skills shortages in Information Technology (IT) industries. Within the computing education enrollment mix, girls and women continue to be under-represented and recent years have seen female participation fall even more rapidly than that of males. This article reports on findings of an Australian study which explored secondary school students’ beliefs about and attitudes towards computing education and careers in IT. Factors that might discourage girls in particular from pursuing post-compulsory computing education and careers are discussed, along with broader implications for school education in an era when information and communication technologies are an integral part of our daily lives. Findings include the persistence among both boys and girls of inaccurate and outdated views of the field of IT and low expectations of both school IT curricula and pedagogy in terms of their relevance and interest for students. Many of the issues identified as discouraging students in general from pursuing computing education appear to have a greater discouraging effect on girls, and this is compounded by stereotypical views of the field as male-dominated and unwelcoming to women and girls.

Prediction of children's flavour preferences. Effect of age and stability in reported preferences

The present study investigated whether children were able to communicate stable flavour preferences and whether mothers’ ability to correctly identify their child's flavour preferences is related to the stability of their child's flavour preferences. On 2 consecutive days, 75 girls and 77 boys (3–10 years, mean age = 7.1 ± 2.3 years) carried out a preference ranking task for five ice-cream flavours: mint, coffee, chocolate and two variants of vanilla. Without input from their child, mothers ranked four of these flavours according to their own understanding of their child's flavour preferences. Spearman rank order correlations suggest that older aged children (5–10 years) have more stable flavour preferences than younger aged children (3–5 years) (p < 0.05). Only 39% of mothers were able to correctly predict children's most preferred flavour, but significantly more parents (61%) were able to predict children's least preferred flavour (p < 0.05). Mothers’ ability to correctly predict their children's least preferred flavour seemed to be facilitated by children's ability to communicate their least preferred flavours in a consistent manner (p < 0.05). It is recommended to apply proper sensory methodologies with children rather than relying on mothers’ report when interested in children's likes. When interested in children's dislikes mothers’ report might be suitable.

Creating digital divas-scaffolding perception change through secondary school and university alliances

Over the last 20 years much has been done to encourage female students to choose computing courses and computing careers. Some instances of positive effects have been reported, yet the proportional disparity in gender in this discipline continues to grow. This paper reports on a program called 'Digital Divas'. Digital Divas aims to scaffold positive perceptions around computing in the early years of secondary school by involving female students in upbeat computing experiences over a semester. It introduces university undergraduates to the secondary classroom to provide informal role models and mentors, as well as interactions with young computing professionals. This classroom environment enables computer applications to be more strongly linked with future careers. The commitment to a semester length unit was influential in changing perceptions about girls and computing, and the program was supported by the wider school community. We posit that this type of curriculum intervention is needed and has the potential to build technical human capital in female students.

Educational and mental health implications of the multidimensional model of the self-concept for adolescent girls : comparison of clinical and non-clinical samples

The importance of a positive self-concept as an educational outcome and a facilitator of other desirable outcomes are well established within the education research field. Although the multidimensional and hierarchical model of the self-concept is widely accepted within the educational psychology, this perspective is not widely used within the mental health research. Hence, the purpose of the present investigation is to compare the psychometric properties of the short version of the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQII-S) based on responses by a large sample of female adolescent high school students (N= 829) and a clinical sample of adolescent girls who have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (N= 75). The well-established psychometric properties of the longer version of the SDQII generalise well to both samples of adolescent girls, and analyses provided good support for the invariance of the factor structure across the two samples. Furthermore, analyses employing new structural equation modelling approaches to comparing the latent mean differences indicated that there were differences (although surprisingly small) between the two groups that were generally consistent with a priori predictions. The important educational and clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Skin pedagogies and abject bodies

How does the beauty industry ‘narrate the skin’? What does it teach women from different cultural groups about the female body? How does skin function as a site where female subjection and abjection are produced and reproduced? In this paper we examine the skin industry pointing to its extreme commodification of the female body and to the inexcusable pressure this places on females of most age and cultural groups.We focus on two examples. Firstly, we show what the skin industry teaches girls and women about both their skin colour ‘problems’ and desirable practices of whitening and, secondarily, tanning. Secondly, we consider what the cosmetic surgery industry teaches us about female bodily ‘imperfections’ linked to certain ethnic and racial groups and the necessary ‘remedies’. Overall we show how the socio-cultural normalization of perfect skin is a product of a range of contemporary and enduring social and cultural forces overlain by complex pedagogies of power, expertise and affect.

Interparent agreement on the strengths and difficulties questionnaire : a Chinese study

This article reports on the first study to investigate interparent agreement when the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is used to assess school-aged children. It is also the first study conducted in China on agreement between parents reporting on their child. Both parents of 380 girls and 320 boys completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Chinese version). Because reliabilities were poor, the Conduct Problems and Hyperactivity=Inattention subscales were merged to form an Externalizing Problems subscale, and the Peer Problems subscale as an independent variable was omitted from analyses. Consistent with past research, moderate to strong correlations were found between mother and father reports for emotional and behavioral problems, although interparent agreement was better for externalizing problems than internalizing problems for both girls and boys. Mothers reported significantly higher scores than fathers for prosocial behaviors for their sons. Findings suggest that, in general, one parent’s report will be similar to the other’s when the SDQ is used in the form adapted for this study. More work on the psychometric properties of the SDQ is needed in China.

Preschoolers' physical activity, screen time, and compliance with recommendations

Purpose: Little evidence exists about the prevalence of adequate levels of physical activity and of appropriate screen-based entertainment in preschool children. Previous studies have generally relied on small samples. This study investigates how much time preschool children spend being physically active and engaged in screen-based entertainment. The study also reports compliance with the recently released Australian recommendations for physical activity (>=3 h·d-1) and screen entertainment (<=1 h·d-1) and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education physical activity guidelines (>=2 h·d-1) and American Academy of Pediatrics screen-based entertainment recommendations (<=2 h·d-1) in a large sample of preschool children.

Methods: Participants were 1004 Melbourne preschool children (mean age = 4.5 yr, range = 3–5 yr) and their families in the Healthy Active Preschool Years study. Physical activity data were collected by accelerometry during an 8-d period. Parents reported their child’s television/video/DVD viewing, computer/Internet, and electronic game use during a typical week. A total of 703 (70%) had sufficient accelerometry data, and 935 children (93%) had useable data on time spent in screen-based entertainment.

Results: Children spent 16% (approximately 127 min·d-1) of their time being physically active. Boys and younger children were more active than were girls and older children, respectively. Children spent an average of 113 min·d-1 in screen-based entertainment. Virtually no children (<1%) met both the Australian recommendations and 32% met both the National Association for Sport and Physical Education and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.

Conclusions: The majority of young children are not participating in adequate amounts of physical activity and in excessive amounts of screen-based entertainment. It is likely that physical activity may decline and that screen-based entertainment may increase with age. Compliance with recommendations may be further reduced. Strategies to promote physical activity and reduce screen-based entertainment in young children are required.

Is it myth or dilemma to construct and negotiate identities in an increasingly changing and diverse global context?

Identity is complex and it is difficult to come to terms with one’s identity when challenged by cross-cultural and migration transitions and the pressures of globalisation. From such perspectives, I define the terms ‘identity’, and ‘representation’ and how I situate the ‘self’ within such transitions and experiences. Discourses from cultural theorists such as: Zygmunt Bauman, Edward Said, Stuart Hall, Homi Bhabha, Arjun Appadurai and Edward Soja frame notions that support my arguments. My narratives and artworks make reference to my historical legacies, cultural and Diasporic inheritances, sense of belonging from home country and migration transitions. This journey underscores subjectivities in constructing my identities. I describe my own experiences and process of migration transitions to happen within a ‘liminal space,’ as I negotiate and adapt to new social and cultural structures. Through my discussion, I describe how it becomes important to “know who you are” and how to define new ‘spaces’ and parameters of identification and representation. The shifts in ‘spaces’, places’ and new social interaction, I argue indicates hybridity and ambivalences in situating the ‘self’. My arguments extend to reflect on how identity matters, and why it is significant to make it seem present and less as ‘dilemma’ or ‘myth’ in an increasingly diverse, changing and challenging global context.