Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Children
Body image dissatisfaction has become increasingly more prevalent among the preadolescent population over recent years. This study examines the level of body image dissatisfaction among 261 third, fourth, and fifth grade girls and boys. A pictorial scale was used to assess how the participants viewed their current body shape, their ideal body shape, and what they believed to be the ideal body shape of the opposite gender. Overall results indicated that 50.6% of the children surveyed were dissatisfied with their current body shape, 41.8% wanted to be thinner, while 8.8% wanted to be larger. Fifty percent of the girls were dissatisfied with their current body shape, with 45.1% wishing to be thinner. Boys showed similar trends, with 48.9% dissatisfied and 38.9% wishing to be thinner. A greater percentage of boys wanted to be larger than their current body shape (12.3%) compared to girls (4.9%). A significant difference was found between genders regarding the difference between scores of their current self and ideal self, where girls selected a smaller ideal body shape than the boys. An encouraging finding was that the level of body dissatisfaction decreased from third grade to fifth grade among both genders. Girls, however, still wished to be thinner over time. Boys, on the other hand, indicated a preference for a somewhat larger body shape over time. These results indicate that body image dissatisfaction exists prior to adolescence among this sample of children. Prevention strategies and education are encouraged among this age group.
Introduction
Body image dissatisfaction is defined as the subjective feelings of dissatisfaction with one’s physical appearance (Littleton & Ollendick, 2003). Studies support that college-aged women perceive their figures to be heavier than what they view as ideal (Fallon & Rozin, 1985). More recently, several studies focus on the weight concerns, body dissatisfaction, and ideal body-size beliefs found among adolescents and children. It has been reported that children as young as five and six years old prefer body figures thinner than their own (Collins, 1991; Davison, Markey, & Birch, 2000; Davison, Markey, & Birch, 2003; Hendy, Gustitus, and Leitzel-Schwalm, 2001). Davison, Markey, and Birch (2000) found that 21% of five year old girls were dissatisfied with their bodies and were concerned about their weight. Collins (1991) found that among six and seven-year-olds, 42% of girls preferred body figures thinner than their own. This trend appears to increase with age. Research shows that by middle childhood, this number increases to over 50% among girls (Schur, Sanders, & Steiner, 2000). Young boys also display body image dissatisfaction (Cohane & Pope, 2001). In a survey of ideal body-size beliefs and weight concerns of 817 fourth grade girls and boys, Thompson, Corwin, and Sargent (1997) found that 51% of white females and 46% of black females and 28% of white males and 32% of black males selected ideal body sizes thinner than their current size. Similarly, in a study of eight to 10-year-olds, Wood, Becker, and Thompson (1996) revealed that 55% of girls and 35% of boys were dissatisfied with their weight. In a sample of over 200 eight-year-old children, Shapiro, Newcomb, and Loeb (1997) reported that 23% of girls and 18% of boys said they “always” wished they were thinner.