Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To investigate body image perceptions of women about themselves and their young children and their relationship to their food choices and those of their children.
DESIGN
Descriptive and correlational study.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
187 low-income, Latina women and their children, ages 5 to 7 years and 52% female, in New York City.
VARIABLES MEASURED
Body image, food frequency, body mass index (BMI) of mothers and children, and food choice criteria of mothers for their children.
ANALYSIS
Descriptive statistics and correlations.
RESULTS
All of the women selected a relatively thin body image as the most desirable, attractive, fit, and healthy (about 2.5 on a scale of 1-7). Body size dissatisfaction or wish to be thinner was significantly associated with more healthful diets. Tertiles (thirds) of children at the 50th and 75th mean BMI-for-age percentiles were thought to be too thin to be attractive or healthy and the third of children with a mean above the 97th percentile only barely too large. Mothers with the highest body mass indices may make the least healthful choices for their children.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
These Latina women preferred a thin figure for themselves but a plumper figure for their children. Culturally competent nutrition education incorporating body image issues needs to assist mothers in understanding the health consequences of childhood obesity, recognizing when their children are overweight, and understanding the importance of healthful food choices for their children.

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Authors

Contento IR, Basch C, Zybert P

Institution

Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA. Irc6@columbia.edu

Source

Journal of nutrition education and behavior 35:5 pg 236-48

MeSH

Adult
Body Image
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Child
Child Nutrition Disorders
Child, Preschool
Female
Food Preferences
Hispanic Americans
Humans
Male
New York City
Poverty

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Language

eng

PubMed ID

14521823