In Her Image

Background: Physical and psychological alteration during adolescence could determine adolescents’ nutritional status, especially for female adolescents. The Indonesian Ministry of Health estimated about 26.5% of female adolescents aged 12 – 18 years in South Sumatera Province were at risk of chronic energy deficiency in 2017. One of the direct predictors which affect nutritional status is eating behavior. The research aims to describe perceived body image and eating behavior of high school female adolescents and find the correlation between these variables.Method: The research applied a cross-sectional design and chose respondents purposively with inclusion criteria i.e., female adolescents at 1st and 2nd grade from four different high schools in Palembang. About 138 respondents completed the questionnaires of body image and eating behavior. The data were analyzed using a chi-square test on SPSS Application.Results: The majority of respondents (55.80%) were not satisfied with their own body shape. Above 15% were on a diet. However, the respondents’ perception of body image was mostly classified as positive (54.35%), and they also had good eating behavior (56.52%). Body image significantly impacted eating behavior (p = 0.035). Those with positive body image are possibly at 2.210 times chances of having good eating behavior (95%CI: 1.112 – 4.391). Female adolescents have to build self-appreciation, not only based on their physical appearance. The health nutritionists should work together with the government to facilitate them to practice healthy eating behavior which may improve their nutrition status.

This study was conducted on 5 March 2024, by the Universidad Europea de Madrid. This study aims to explore how body image perceptions influence health behaviors and mental and physical health outcomes among a specific group of 605 young adults aged 20 to 35 engaged in strength training regimes. To measure these perceptions, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) was employed, an advanced tool that assesses multiple dimensions of body image through its subscales, including feelings of physical attractiveness, investment in one's appearance, and satisfaction with different body areas. Participants were segmented into two groups based on a median split of their self-reported body image. The survey assessed a diverse array of variables, including demographic details, physiological data, resistance training routines, and psychological attributes. In this revision, we consistently use the term 'dietary habits' to ensure clear and uniform language when discussing eating patterns. Notable differences were observed in dietary habits and exercise engagement, influenced significantly by body image perceptions. Negative body image was linked to less healthy dietary habits, diminished physical activity, and worse psychological outcomes, such as increased anxiety and depression. Conversely, a positive body image was associated with healthier dietary habits, more frequent physical activity, and better psychological health. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving body image could be crucial for enhancing overall health within this specific demographic. Due to the non-representative nature of the study group, conclusions are cautiously presented as applicable only to similar populations engaged in strength training. This study underscores the need for holistic strategies that encourage positive body image to improve both physical and psychological health outcomes in young adults.

Objective: to identify the association between the perception of body image and the adoption of preventive measures for sexually transmitted infections by female adolescents. Methods: descriptive research, with a sequential quantitative-qualitative mixed method, in three full-time schools located in socially vulnerable neighborhoods. Results: 147 female adolescents participated, with a mean age of 14. Body image dissatisfaction by the Silhouettes Scale and the Adolescent Dissatisfaction Rating Scale predominated. There was a lack of knowledge about the female condom and the correct handling of the male condom to prevent sexually transmitted infections. Conclusion: there was no significant association among the variables: body image perception, knowledge of preventive measures, and sexual behavior; however, it was evidenced a tendency of the adolescents dissatisfied with their body image perception to expose themselves to sexual conduct with more than one partner at the same time. Furthermore, the adolescents' body image dissatisfaction influenced their knowledge about the female condom, HIV, and family. Contributions to practice: the actions of health promotion and education for adolescent girls should consider factors that raise the perception of positive body image, from strategies that reinforce self-esteem and safe sexual conduct.

Body image is the picture of how our body is perceived and stored in our mind. During puberty, many changes occur in the body of an adolescents. Often, a change in physical appearance has an impact on the levels of body’s satisfaction. Thus, it is crucial to assess the body image among adolescents to ensure the wellbeing of both physical and mental health is at optimal stage. Therefore, the aims of the present study is to determine the body fat percentage of female adolescents. Then, to evaluate the association between weight status and body image perception. Lastly, to assess whether the attitudes towards body image are predictive of female adolescents weight status. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 198 female adolescents in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Anthropometric measurements included weight and height, and BMI was determined. Body composition was assessed by using Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis through Bodystat Quadscan 4000 instrument. Body image perception was measured using the Stunkard’s Figure Rating Scale and Attitudes towards Body Image that was adapted from the Multidimensional Body Self Relation Questionnaire (MBSRQ). A total of 27.8% of female adolescents were overweight and 1.0 % were obese by body fat. Among the female adolescents, 62.5% of them were dissatisfied with their body image, although 57.5% of them were in the normal weight category. Pearson’s Chi Square test revealed there is an association between weight status and body image perception among the female adolescents (p<0.045). Based on the Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, there is a significant linear relationship between attitudes towards body image, domain of comparison of body shape and BMI (p<0.005). Thus, for every 1 unit increase in the domain of comparison of body shape there will be 0.570 decreased in BMI. Comparison of body shape is a significant predicting factor for BMI. In conclusion, further study should be carried out to investigate the factors that can possibly lead to the development of dissatisfaction with body image and the effects of getting negative body image in life of the adolescents during their adolescent’s phase.

Interactive media-based dance and art therapies as interventions for treating posttraumatic symptoms among school children with abduction experience

Adolescence is a period of life marked by behavioral, social and physical changes, which can interfere with self-perception of body image (BI), especially in female adolescents. The main objective of the present study is to analyze, according to scientific literature, how physical activity (PA) can contribute to the perception of BI in female adolescents. This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, through a narrative review, and which analyzed the data by categories. The data was collected on the CAPES journal portal. It was noticed that PA can contribute to the perception of positive BI in the following way: it helps adolescents to stay active; Modifies body shapes, improves physical and mental health. When associated with a balanced diet, PA presents better results related to the perception of BI. It is concluded that the practice of PA for adolescents can contribute to improving the perception of BI and obtaining healthy habits, especially good eating habits. Therefore, it is suggested that the practice of PA be encouraged in this population, not only aiming at aesthetic care related to BI, but mainly observing human care in general.

Background: Female breasts have not only physical and functional value but also have psychological bearing and are symbolic of womanhood. In breast cancer survivors, own body image may change due to physical and psychological reasons, worsening women?s living. Objective: The purpose of this review is to synthesize the current state of the science for body image in women with breast cancer. Methods: Combinations of the terms ??body image perception" ??sexuality intervention?? ??women?? ??breast cancer?? were searched in the PubMed and CINAHL through January 2012- 2022. Inclusion criteria for this review were (1) original research, (2) published in English from the year 2012 onwards (3) measuring body image as an outcome variable. Results: The majority of studies were cross-sectional, with extensive variation in body image assessment tools. Breast cancer survivors who undergo more extensive surgery have worse body image, compared with women undergoing less extensive surgery. Poorer body image was related to physical and psychological distress, sex and intimacy, and the partnered relationship among younger women. Conclusions: Findings suggest body image is a complex posttreatment concern for breast cancer survivors. The findings of this review are limited by the high level of variation in the methods for assessing body image.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity, body image, and anxiety among undergraduate university students. A total of 450 university students (67 male, 383 female) voluntarily participated in this research. Physical activity levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), anxiety levels with the Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI), and body image perception using the Body Image Scale (BIS). The study was conducted in Türkiye between November 15, 2021 and February 2022. Only 18.44% of the participants met the recommended level of physical activity, with 51.11% having moderate activity levels and 30.44% being entirely low activity levels. Anxiety was prevalent, as 85.1% of students reported moderate anxiety, and 14.9% reported high anxiety. Additionally, a negative relationship between physical activity and body image was observed, implying that increased physical activity correlated with more positive body image (r=-0.177, p = 0.00). As the physical activity score increased, the body image score decreased. Due to this negative relationship, an increase in the IPAQ score had a positive influence on the individual's perception of their body image. Conversely, a significant, moderately positive relationship existed between anxiety and body image. Regression analysis demonstrated that perceived body image significantly influenced anxiety levels (p < 0.000), explaining 20.3% of the variance (p < 0.000). In this study, we found the alarmingly low physical activity levels among university students and highlight the role of physical activity in enhancing body image and potentially reducing depressive symptoms. Practical implications include the necessity for effective interventions within universities to promote physical activity, support students in maintaining adequate activity levels, and consequently, improve mental well-being. These findings stress the importance of addressing physical activity and mental health within university settings and suggest actionable strategies for enhancing the overall health of students.

A quantitative systematic review assessing the impact of burn injuries on body image

Introduction &amp; Purpose Eating disorders, body image, self-esteem, and emotional issues affect psychological and physical health and often co-occur. Disturbances in body image can trigger and worsen disordered eating behaviours. Emotions and self-esteem are influential factors in both eating disorders and body image issues, impacting their severity and manifestation. The interconnection of eating disorders, body image, emotions, and self-esteem has mostly been studied in adolescents, while there has been less research on the adult population. This systematic review seeks to synthesise existing literature on the comorbidity and coexistence of eating disorders, body image disturbance, emotion, and self-esteem in the adult population. Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles published between 2010 and 2024 (Figure 1). The selected studies focused on the connections between eating disorders, body image, emotion, and self-esteem in adult populations. Six studies were selected from an initial collection of 1,117 articles, with most female participants representing different racial backgrounds. The study participants were required to be over 18 years old and use standard tools to measure the variables, and only original research with significant results was included. Results Individuals with eating disorders showed higher levels of body dissatisfaction, which was linked with lower self-esteem and emotional dysregulation. Women with bulimia nervosa displayed higher emotion-oriented coping strategies compared to controls, resulting in low self-esteem (Wölfges et al., 2011). Obese patients with binge-eating disorders (BED) had more negative attitudes towards obesity compared to obese individuals without BED, correlating with higher levels of depression and disordered eating behaviours (Barnes et al., 2014). The African American participants reported lower weight bias than white participants (Lewer et al., 2015). Furthermore, body image disturbances were a consistent theme, particularly their role in worsening eating disorders, with findings showing that body dissatisfaction indirectly influenced disordered eating behaviours through its effects on self-esteem and depression (Brechan &amp; Kvalem, 2015). The findings revealed that women are more vulnerable to the negative impacts of body image dissatisfaction and emotional dysregulation on eating disorders (Barnes et al., 2014; Brechan &amp; Kvalem, 2015). Additionally, the impact of weight bias and dissociative experiences during sexual activities, which were linked to binge eating and sexual dissatisfaction, was highlighted (Castellini et al., 2017). Discussion The findings emphasise the connections between self-esteem, body image, emotion, and eating disorders. Professional interventions for eating disorders should consider improving self-esteem and providing adaptive emotion techniques to enhance body image perception. The importance of self-compassion in improving body image and managing eating disorders was also noted (Kelly et al., 2014). More research on adult populations in non-Western countries is needed. Conclusion This review emphasises the relationships between eating disorders, body image, self-esteem, and emotion in adults. Moreover, the combination of strategies that improve emotional regulation, self-esteem, and body image perception within clinical interventions could lead to more practical management of eating disorders in adults. Future research should explore these variables across different cultures with varied research strategies.

Background: Body image perceptions among young female adults significantly influence their quality of life, nutritional status, and wellbeing. Positive body image is characterized by high self-esteem and accepting one's body as is. This study assessed body image perception, eating habits, and nutritional status of female university students. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among female students of Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Anthropometry, body image perceptions, and eating habits were evaluated. Body image perceptions and eating habits were assessed using a questionnaire. Results: Majority of the respondents (68%) had normal weight, 25% were overweight, 4% were underweight, and 3% were obese. About half (51%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with their body weight and shape while 49% felt fat and had a strong desire to lose weight. About 69% of the respondents skipped meals and 69% snacked at least once a day. Conclusion: A big proportion of female students expressed dissatisfaction with their body image despite majority having normal weight status. Targeted mental health programs should be designed to help students deal with dissatisfaction and promote general wellbeing.

Background: Epilepsy affects 12 million+ individuals in India, with women experiencing disproportionate psychosocial burdens. In addition to managing seizure activity, they endure stigma, body image disturbances, and social isolation, due to cultural-norms, misconceptions, and side effects of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Objective: To explore the impact of social stigma and body image perception among women with epilepsy, and to identify psychosocial patterns that can inform community-based interventions. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 52 women with epilepsy, aged 10-52 years (mean=26.96, SD=10.34). Participants completed a questionnaire assessing demographic details, awareness about seizure type, perceived stigma, AED-related physical changes, and body image perception using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: 94.2% participants were unaware of their seizure type and 59.6% reported visible side effects. Social stigma was prevalent: 73.1% expressed feelings of shame, and 55.8% reported hiding their condition. Body image perception was moderately positive (mean=3.50, SD=1.16), with internal consistency among related domains. Moderate positive correlations were observed between body image satisfaction and self-confidence in public. Marital status did not influence body image or stigma perceptions. Conclusion: This study highlights the burden faced by women with epilepsy: seizure management and psychosocial distress. The high prevalence of stigma, concealment, and body dissatisfaction emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive, community-based rehabilitation programs. Future interventions should incorporate education, peer support, and counseling to promote body positivity and reduce stigma.

BackgroundInternational studies suggest ethnic differences in obesity prevalence may be due, in part, to differences in body image and body size dissatisfaction between groups. Further, there is evidence to suggest that there is a familial resemblance in body image between mothers and their younger (preadolescent) daughters. This research was therefore conducted to specifically identify the extent to which family status (presented as mother-daughter resemblance) and ethnicity impact on body image attitudes and perceptions of South African mothers and their pre-adolescent daughters.MethodsMother-daughter dyads (n = 201, 31% black, 37% mixed ancestry and 32% white) answered questions regarding their body image perception (the way they saw their body size status), their body image ideals, and body image attitudes (body size dissatisfaction in particular, presented as the Feel-Ideal Difference [FID] index score). Mothers' and daughters' body image results were compared within dyads and across ethnic groups using repeated measures of ANOVA.ResultsOverall, body image resemblances exist between South African mothers and their pre-adolescent daughters. Mothers and daughters chose similarly weighted silhouettes to represent their body size ideals (p = 0.308), regardless of their ethnicity or body mass index (BMI). The FID index scores were similar between mothers and their daughters only after the confounding effects of maternal BMI were removed (p = 0.685). The silhouettes chosen to represent thinness were also similar between mothers and their daughters (p = 0.960) regardless of ethnicity and maternal BMI. On the other hand, the silhouettes chosen to represent fatness were similar (p = 0.342) between mothers and their daughters, only after the confounding effects of maternal BMI were removed. Lastly, mothers and their daughters chose similarly weighted silhouettes as engendering feelings of beauty, respect and happiness (p = 0.813; p = 0.615 and p = 0.693, respectively). In this instance, black mother-daughter dyads chose significantly heavier silhouettes than the other ethnic groups. This implies that black mothers and daughters associate beauty, respect and happiness with a bigger body size.ConclusionResemblances exist between pre-adolescent girls and their mothers on issues related to ideal and attitudinal body image. In this regard, South African researchers should consider the effects ethnicity and family status on body image of women when developing targeted interventions to prevent or manage obesity.

Research background. The causes of fibromyalgia (FM) are unclear and diagnosing FM is complicated, which limits treatment options, and no treatment to date has proven fully effective in alleviating its symptoms. In current studies, where art therapy has been applied in the case of FM, art therapy has been part of a multidisciplinary intervention. The authors were unable to find any published data on the effects of art therapy on FM. The aim of the research was to determine the effect of group art therapy on pain, emotional state, and feeling of health and comfort of FM patients. Research methods. Intervention included ten structured art therapy sessions. The participants were 20 women between the ages of 39–64 years. In order to assess the results of therapy, a self-rate questionnaire was used. Therapy session changes were registered using pain and fatigue NRS and semantic differential scales of feeling of health and comfort. The outcome of group art therapy was assessed with a pain and fatigue NRS, and an Emotional State Questionnaire (EST-Q2). An open question was used to study the expectations of participants at the beginning of therapy and the main result of the therapy upon its conclusion. Research results. During the group art therapy session, pain and fatigue decreased and the feeling of health and comfort improved. This was confirmed by the content analysis of open questions. Following therapy, a significant decrease had taken place in the subscales of the Emotional State Questionnaire in depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia-panic; a substantial decrease in pain and fatigue took place in patients with heightened baseline measures. Conclusion. The changes following the therapy session confirm the results of earlier studies on the positive effects of psychotherapy and art therapy sessions on pain. The pilot study provided promising results for the application of structured short-term group art therapy with FM patients. Keywords: group art therapy, fibromyalgia, pain, fatigue, emotional state.Keywords: group art therapy, fbromyalgia, pain, fatigue, emotional state.

Research background and hypothesis. Previous studies have shown that dissatisfaction with the body image among girls often reflects a desire to be thinner, among boys – a desire to be bigger, taller, become more muscular and have a nice body shape. It is known that adolescents have a very precise body image which is related to their own perception. However, there is a gap in research, analyzing body image aspect, i. e. evaluation of specific body image components. Hypothesis – there is a difference in the satisfaction level with specific body image components among 8 th grade pupils; body image assessment of 8 th grade pupils is different in the aspect of gender. Research aim was to establish gender differences in body image perception among 8 th grade pupils.Research methods. The research has been conducted during the months of March-April-May of 2012. A random probability sampling method was used with 8 th grade pupils from 24 general education schools located in various cities and towns around Lithuania. The research sample was comprised of 1347 (boys n = 674, girls n = 673) 8 th grade pupils. To perform the diagnostic analysis, the author designed a body image perception questionnaire, composed on the basis of V. Rittner (1986), A. Zaborskis et al. (1996), R. Jankauskienė (2001), A. Zaborskis, J. Makari (2001), W. D. Brettschneider, T. Kleine, G. Klimek (2003), D. M. Garner (2004), R. Russell (2004), A. Miškinytė (2011), questionnaires.Research results. Results of the present research allows concluding that respondents are more dissatisfied with their body image components which are influenced by adolescents’ phenotype. i.e. stomach, shoulders, legs, thighs, hips, buttocks, waist, shin, breast (p &lt; 0.001). Gender differences in body image perception revealed that girls tended to be more dissatisfied with their facial features (p &lt; 0.001), nose (p &lt; 0.001), cheeks (p = 0.003), facial skin (p &lt; 0.001), hair (p = 0.001), breasts (p = 0.004), waist (p = 0.001), stomach (p &lt; 0.001), legs (p = 0.001), hips (p &lt; 0.001), thighs (p &lt; 0.001), shin (p &lt; 0,001), buttocks (p &lt; 0.001), feet (p &lt; 0.001), naked body (p &lt; 0.001), body shape (p &lt; 0.001), and body weight (p &lt; 0.001). Discussion and conclusions. Differences in body image perception among 8 th grade pupils depend on gender, i. e. girls compared to boys (p &lt; 0.001), tend to be more dissatisfied with their body image.Keywords: body image, adolescence, body weight, body type, body shape.