A Study of Body Image and Weight Loss Behaviors of Adult Women in Hsin-Chu City

• Main Authors: Lin, Mei-Hui, 林美惠
• Other Authors: Ko, Shu-Hsin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/33521898466366184370

碩士 === 中國文化大學 === 生活應用科學系 === 99 === The 21st century is an era of pursuing beauty and health, so a trend that “slimness equals to beauty” rises among the women worldwide. As a result, many women have a wrong cognition to the self body image. In order to achieve the ideal slim image, they may take various weight loss behaviors, which are harm to the health, and may further affect the mental and physical health. For this reason, this study takes the adult women of Hsin-Chu City as the subjects to conduct research of body image and weight loss behaviors, hoping the public will have a better understanding to the weight loss behaviors of the women through this study. This study, based on survey method, takes the adult women of Hsin-Chu City from 20 to 69 years old as the subjects. The formal samples are 500, while 458 valid samples are obtained, with the return ratio as 91.6 %. The study tools include the Investigation Form of Personal Background Information, the Scale of Body Image, and the Scale of Weight Loss Behaviors. The obtained data are then analyzed by the statistics methods, including frequency distribution, percentage, mean, standard deviation, one sample t-test, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé method, Chi-square distribution, Pearson’s product-moment correlation and Logistic regression analysis. The conclusions of this study are as follows: Ⅰ. Current situation of the body image and weight loss behaviors of Hsin-Chu adult women 1. The overall body image of the subjects tends to be positive and active, in which the subjects care and emphasize the self appearance under the dimension of appearance orientation most, and emphasize the dimension of body areas satisfaction least, especially the weight. 2. 82% of the subjects have the weight loss experience. In terms of the weight loss purpose, 73% are unsatisfactory to their own figure. In terms of the weight loss intention, 60% may lose weight in the future. 3. In terms of the weight loss methods, most of them takes diet control, followed by regular exercise and buying weight loss products. While in terms of the intention of the weight loss methods, most are diet control, followed by regular exercise and buying weight loss products. Ⅱ. The difference of body image under different personal background factors 1. The body image of the subjects shows significant difference in different age, education level, average monthly income and BMI value. Those with younger age, higher education level and higher average monthly income will get more positive and active opinion to the body image, while those with higher BMI value will get relatively negative and passive opinions to the body image. Ⅲ. The difference of weight loss behaviors under different personal background factors 1. The weight loss experience of the subjects shows significant difference in different age, education level, marital status, marriage satisfaction and BMI value, in which those who are from 30 to 39 years old, graduating from college or university, divorced, with lower satisfaction to the marriage and higher BMI value, have more weight loss experience. 2. The weight loss intention of the subjects shows significant difference in different age, education level, average monthly income, marital status, marriage satisfaction and BMI value, in which those who are from 20 to 39 years old, graduating from college or university, unmarried, with lower satisfaction to the marriage and higher BMI value, have higher weight loss intention. Ⅳ. The difference of body image and weight loss behaviors among Hsin-Chu adult women 1. The subjects with higher emphasis to the self appearance orientation, lower appearance evaluation, higher weight concern, higher self weight evaluation and lower body areas satisfaction, will have higher weight loss experience and weight loss intention. Ⅴ. Prediction of the personal background factors and body image of Hsin-Chu adult women to the weight loss behaviors 1. The prediction factors of the subjects’ personal background factors to the weight loss experience include the following five items:「60～69 years old」, 「50～59 years old」,「graduating from graduate school」, 「obesity」and「over weight」, which can effectively predict their weight loss experience. Those of 50~69 years old and graduating from the graduate school are less likely to have weight loss experience than those of 20~29 years old and graduating from elementary school. Moreover, if grouped by BMI value, the subjects of obesity and over weight are more likely to have weight loss experience than those of under weight. 2. The prediction factors of the subjects’ personal background factors to the weight loss intention include the following three items:「40～49 years old」,「50～59 years old」and「60～69 years old」, which can effectively predict their weight loss intention. Those of 40~69 years old are less likely to have weight loss intention than those of 20~29 years old. 3. The prediction factors of the subjects’ body image to the weight loss experience include the following four dimensions: appearance orientation, appearance evaluation, weight concern and weight evaluation, which can effectively predict their weight loss experience. Those who emphasize the self appearance more, have lower evaluation to the appearance, concern the weight more and think they are over weighted more, are more likely to have weight loss experience. 4. The prediction factor of the subjects’ body image to the weight loss intention is only the weight concern dimension under the body image, which can effectively predict their weight loss intention. Those with higher weight concern are more likely to have weight loss intention. 5. The prediction factors of the subjects’ personal background factors and body image to the weight loss experience include the following four dimensions: appearance orientation, appearance evaluation, weight concern and weight evaluation, which can effectively predict their weight loss experience. Those who emphasize the self appearance more, have lower evaluation to the appearance, concern the weight more and think they are over weighted more, are more likely to have weight loss experience. 6. The prediction factor of the subjects’ personal background factors and body image to the weight loss intention is only the weight concern dimension under the body image, which can effectively predict their weight loss intention. Those with higher weight concern are more likely to have weight loss intention. According to the findings and conclusions of this study, it is suggested that the adult women of Hsin-Chu City should cultivate good diet behaviors and good habits of regular exercise and measuring weight every day. The self appearance should be emphasized in a proper degree, but not over emphasized. Moreover, they should face the self image with a health and positive attitude, so as to avoid the mental stress. When conducting weight loss behaviors, it’s better to cautiously select the weight loss methods and ask for advice from experts to strengthen the weight loss related knowledge, so as to prevent the mental and physical harms. Hold the body self-autonomy right, plan the weight loss courses should, and then actively follow the health diet rules, so as to achieve the ideal figure. Furthermore, establish the right body image cognition and cultivate the optimistic life values and active living attitude. Besides, the medical organizations related to weight loss are suggested to convey the right weight loss presentation and establish correct weight loss cognition for the consumers. The weight loss course designs should be diversified to attract the attention of the consumers and reduce the boring and passive feelings. Finally, the related administrative agencies are suggested to promote the perspective that “health equals to the beauty” by instruction, so as to establish the right body image; at the meantime, enhance canceling the exaggerated and fake weight loss advertisements and the products of bad quality and even can cause harm, and announce the right weigh loss information and legal drugs, so as to ensure the safety of the consumers.