Is there a difference in body size dissatisfaction between the patients with obesity seeking and not seeking treatment for obesity?

Background Various factors motivate people to undertake treatment for obesity. Among others they include health benefits, willingness to please others, and dissatisfaction with one’s appearance. The present study aimed to assess body size dissatisfaction in patients with obesity seeking and not seeking treatment for obesity. Methods Two-hundred-sixteen adult subjects (154 women, 62 men) including 80 people with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 starting treatment for obesity (BMI 35.7 ± 5.3 kg/m2) and 136 volunteers with obesity (BMI 34.7 ± 4.3 kg/m2) not seeking treatment for obesity, were enrolled. Body size satisfaction was assessed using the Figure Rating Scale adapted by Stunkard. Results Patients with obesity starting obesity treatment had more often a high level of body size dissatisfaction than volunteers with obesity not seeking the treatment (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the distribution of body size dissatisfaction in women (p < 0.05), but not in men (p = 0.47). Conclusion Patients with obesity, especially women, seeking obesity treatment more often represent a high level of body size dissatisfaction than volunteers with obesity not seeking treatment for obesity. This implies the need for public health campaigns to address negative attitudes or misconceptions about obesity and its treatment. Placing more attention and emphasis on body size dissatisfaction in more vulnerable women with obesity may help to define personal motivations and goals, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and better adapt therapeutic strategies.

“eLoriCorps Immersive Body Rating Scale”: Exploring the Assessment of Body Image Disturbances from Allocentric and Egocentric Perspectives

The first objective of this study was to test the convergent and discriminant validity between the “eLoriCorps Immersive Body Rating Scale” and the traditional paper-based figure rating scale (FRS). The second objective was to explore the contribution of the egocentric virtual reality (VR) perspective of eLoriCorps to understanding body image disturbances (BIDs). The sample consisted of 53 female and 13 male adults. Body size dissatisfaction, body size distortion, perceived body size, and ideal body size were assessed. Overall, outcomes showed good agreement between allocentric perspectives as measured via VR and the FRS. The egocentric VR perspective produced different results compared to both the allocentric VR perspective and the FRS. This difference revealed discriminant validity and suggested that eLoricorps’ egocentric VR perspective might assess something different from the traditional conception of body dissatisfaction, which an allocentric VR perspective generally assesses. Finally, the egocentric VR perspective in assessing BIDs deserves to be studied more extensively to explore the possibility of finding two types of body image distortion: (a) an egocentric perceptual body distortion, referring to internal body sensation affected by intra-individual changes, and (b) an allocentric perceptual body distortion, referring to external body benchmarks constructed by inter-individual comparison occurring in a given cultural context.

Insatisfacción corporal en universitarios mexicanos deportistas y no deportistas (Body dissatisfaction in Mexican university athletes vs non-athletes)

El objetivo de esta investigación consistió en determinar las diferencias y similitudes entre universitarios mexicanos que practican un deporte de manera regular con los que no lo hacen, en cuanto a la percepción sobre su imagen corporal actual, ideal, social e inconformidad corporal. La muestra total fue de 661 hombres estudiantes universitarios de 18-33 años de edad; 372 de ellos practican algún deporte y participan regularmente en torneos o competencias deportivas. El abordaje adoptado en la investigación se enmarcó dentro de un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño transversal de recogida de datos. Todos los participantes contestaron la Escala Informatizada para la Estimación del Contorno de la Figura (EIECF) adaptada e informatizada por Gastélum y Blanco (2006). Los resultados del análisis multivariante de la varianza, seguido por los análisis de varianza univariados, muestran que los universitarios que no participan de manera regular algún deporte son quienes eligen modelos más gruesos para su figura actual, ideal y social, además de mostrar mayor inconformidad corporal. Futuras investigaciones deberían replicar estos hallazgos en muestras más amplias.Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine differences and similarities in present, ideal, and social body image perception, as well as in body size dissatisfaction, between Mexican university students who practice a sport on a regular basis and those who do not practice any sport. A total sample of 661 male university students aged 18-33 years old participated in this study; 372 of them practiced a sport and participated regularly in sport competitions. A quantitative research approach with a transversal data collection design was used. All participants completed the Contour Drawing Rating Scale adapted and computerized by Gastélum and Blanco (2006). Results of the one-way multivariate analysis of variance, followed by the one-way univariate analyses of variance, showed that university students who do not regularly participate in sports display thicker models for their present, ideal and social figure. In addition, they demonstrate higher body size dissatisfaction. Further research should focus on confirming these outcomes with larger samples.