between Association Socioeconomic status, Weight, Age and Gender, and the Body Image and Weight Control Practices of 6- to 19- year-old Children and Adolescents Annotated Source Genealogy Nursing 860 Macy Bundy
1) O'Dea, J., & Caputi, P. (2001). Association between socioeconomic status, weight, age and gender, and the body image and weight control practices of 6- to 19-year-old children and adolescents. Health Education Research, 16, 521-532. In this article the current study examined how socioeconomic status, body weight, age and gender, and the body image, physical self-esteem and weight control practices of children and adolescents. The study also looked at how influences of significant others affected the body weight perception and weight control practices of the children. The information was then applied to whether or not health education about weight issues should be focused on certain socioeconomic groups, primarily lower end families. Participants of the study were randomly selected primary and secondary aged school children from 12 schools, including eight public, two private, and two Catholic schools. Ages of participants ranged from 6-19 years and included a mean age of 12.8 years. Before any information was obtained from the students, permission was given by the Department of School Education and school principals, as well as, socioeconomic status was determined by participation of students from disadvantaged school which are determined using a Department of Education questionnaire to examine parental income of each student at the school. Written parental consent was obtained and then questionnaires were sent to the selected students. The questionnaire collected information about the student's demographic details, body image, weight control practices, and regularity of meals and snacks. Information regarding body image was collected by asking students to report if they were currently trying to lose weight or gain weight and whether on most days they usually consumed meals and snack. Other information collected included a personal Physical Self-Esteem score which asked the students to evaluate themselves based on physical appearance using a scale from 0-10 points and the influence of significant others and the advice that was given to the children and adolescents. Finally, height and weight was measured under a controlled procedure. Every child took their shoes off, as well as wore similar uniforms, and based on the results the child's body mass index (BMI) was found. The study's data analysis completed seven five-way frequency analyses to look at the degree of association between the categorical variables. Log-linear models were developed that studied the relationship between a set of primary variables including gender, socioeconomic status, age group, overweight category and a set of variables that included body image, lose weight, gain weight, skipping breakfast, and being advised about weight control. Very generalized findings were developed based on each socioeconomic group compared to each categorical variable, however, overall findings included health educators should be aware that currently, parents and immediate relatives are the primary source of dietary information, advice about weight control, growth, body image issues and weight concerns, but that these caregivers may not have the most accurate insight of an appropriate body weight for children and adolescents. The study offers some support in targeting low socioeconomic status children for early prevention of becoming overweight, while also being careful to avoid creating an idealized body image concern in children that currently do not hold that view. The thought is that health education should
focus and promote on self-esteem, healthy eating and physical activity, while avoiding the harmful thoughts of perfection developed by people today.
2) McCreary, D., & Sasse, D. (2000). An exploration of the drive for muscularity in adolescent boys and girls. Journal of American College Health, 48, 297-304. In this article focus is taken off the drive for thinness women place on themselves, and placed on the male standard of attractiveness being bigger, bulkier and more muscular. The authors pose the question, "Are boys and men motivated to be big and muscular in the same way that girls and women are motivated to be thin?" The study was made up of 197 high school students from Mississauga, Ontario. The students ranged in ages from 16 to 24 years old and were anywhere from grade 6-13 (Ontario high schools have a 5th year that is mandatory for those wishing to attend university in the province). Before the study was conducted, written permission was obtained from both the regional school board and the principal of the high school where the research was to be conducted. The students that were recruited for the study and their parents were both asked to sign consent forms before the questionnaire was passed out for testing. Each student completed pencil a and paper survey containing demographic information and several different questionnaires. The study found that while boys and men may not be focused on the drive for thinness, inversely they may wish to be bulkier and more muscular than they currently see themselves. The survey was used to determine that boys scored higher on the drive for muscularity than girl's high scores on the drive for muscularity were related to more frequent weigh-training sessions per week and to dieting to increase physical bulk and that high scores on the drive for muscularity were unrelated to the drive for thinness. The survey also found the drive for the muscularity directly correlated with lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of depression in boys, but not in girls.
3) Drewnowski, A., & Yee, D. (1987). Men and body image: Are males satisfied with their body weight? American Psychosomatic Society, 49, 626-634. Women many times focus on the concern for the perfect body image which is too often the driving force behind the eating disorders of today. While these women repfot the concern for their bodies to be as slim as possible, today in the world of a man they generally report satisfaction with their body weight and body shape. This study examined the relationship of weight gain or weight loss among males and females. Data was collected through a questionnaire that was distributed to a randomly selected group including 226 male and female freshman students at a large university in the Midwest. Questions addressed included physical statute, current weight, desired weight, satisfaction with body shape, self perception of overweight, and the extent of dieting and physical exercise. The findings were that most 18-year-old women wished to lose weight, while men of that age expressed conflicting views regarding desire for thinness and were nearly split between those who wanted to lose weight (40%) and those who wanted to gain weight (45%).
Reflection on Relationship of Articles Drewnowski & Yee (1987) are both early pioneers in the detection and prevention of obesity. Their study on the relative desire for thinness or weight gain among male and female students concluded that most women wished to lose weight while their male colleagues expressed conflicting views regarding their desire for thinness and the split between who wanted to lose weight and who wanted to gain weight Drewnowski & Yee (1987). In an exploration of the drive for muscularity in adolescent boys and girls, McCreary and Sasse cited Drewnowski and Yee's framework that focuses on how hard adolescent boys are trying to gain weight and their desire to do so. McCreary & Sasse (2000) show specific evidence from their study that backs up the thought that men and boys have on themselves, that they see themselves thinner and less muscular than they really are. The males use factors such as protein diets, anabolic steroids, and continuous physical exertion to receive the traits they desire, usually only to become more insistent for further perfection. Both authors also study how the female examine her body and they compare the genders McCreary & Sasses' (2000) thoughts on men trying to be overly muscular and trying to pursue weight gain in the form of muscle mass and not concerned with being overly fat, is then developed further by O'Dea and Caputi (2001). The authors of the first article use this information along with others to enhance their argument that different socioeconomic backgrounds in addition to other factors, such as gender, affect weather or not people gain weight under certain situations. The statement about men and their drive for a muscular body is the only sentence in O'Dea and Caputis' (2001) work that cites McCreary & Sasses (2000) article, however, the study that was done by O'Dea and
Caputi is only backed up by McCreary and Sasses (2000) statement which is how the two articles. It is clear that these articles build on each. The authors may not all have the same types of studies going on or the same views, however, somewhere in their papers, they all speak of how men have a drive they can not seem to unleash or get rid of. It is very interesting to see how these articles started and to look at some of the research that has been done on the topic and how with each study, authors must take past research and include it in their current reports to validate even the smallest of facts.
References Drewnowski, A., & Yee, D. (1987). Men and body image: Are males satisfied with their body weight? American Psychosomatic Society, 49, 626-634. McCreary, D., & Sasse, D. (2000). An exploration of the drive for muscularity in adolescent boys and girls. Journal of American College Health, 48, 297-304. O'Dea, J., & Caputi, P. (2001). Association between socioeconomic status, weight, age and gender, and the body image and weight control practices of 6- to 19-year-old children and adolescents. Health Education Research, 16, 521-532.