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PubMed2001

Weight satisfaction among black and white couples: the role of perceptions.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether a woman's weight satisfaction was influenced by how satisfied she perceived her mate was with her weight, whether the perceptions were accurate, and whether race influenced the perceptions or their accuracy. Black and White couples answered questions about weight satisfaction and provided demographic information. For all participants, perceiving the mate to be more satisfied produced greater weight satisfaction; White women's perceptions about their mates were least accurate whereas those for Black women were most accurate. The study provided evidence that White women's inaccurate beliefs about their mates may lead to greater weight dissatisfaction.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Perception of body image as indicator of weight status in the European union.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with an adequate perception of body image in relation to body weight. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample of the European Union (7,155 men and 8,077 women). Body Mass Index (BMI) was grouped into four categories, perceived body image was assessed using the nine silhouettes drawing scheme. A multivariable logistic regression model for each sex was used to adjust for potentially confounding variables. RESULTS: Underweight men and women classified themselves better than other groups (92.9% of correct answers among men and 79.3% among women). Overall, women classified themselves better than men (57.6% vs. 32.7%). DISCUSSION: Perceived body image as a method of assessment for body weight has different validity depending on sociodemographic or attitudinal categories. Perceived body image as an estimate of the nutritional status has a limited individualized application. Thus, perhaps it could be applied as a proxy measure of adiposity among slim males and among slim and overweight females, but not among the other groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Perceptual independence of size and weight by dynamic touch.

Historically, the existence of a size-weight illusion has led to the conclusion that perceptions of size and weight are not independent. A dependence of perceived heaviness on physical volume (perceptual separability), however, is different from a dependence on perceived volume (perceptual independence). Three experiments were conducted to evaluate perceptual independence. The relations between perceived size and weight and physical size and mass were evaluated in Experiment 1. Perceived weight, length, and width were structured only by the corresponding physical variables, whereas variations in volume were not separable from variations in mass. F. G. Ashby and J. T. Townsend's (1986) test for perceptual independence was applied in Experiment 2. Perceived weight was independent of perceived length and volume. Experiment 3 used a magnitude estimation paradigm to investigate the extent to which information-perception relations could be related to the observed patterns of separability and independence.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Hunger perceptions and satiety responses among normal-weight bulimics and normals to a high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich food.

The hunger perceptions and satiety responses to a high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich food among 10 normal-weight females who met the DSM-III criteria for bulimia were compared with 10 normal-weight females who denied a current or past history of eating or weight disorders. As indicated by self-report responses on the Hunger-Satiety Questionnaire, bulimics did not differ from the normals in their perceptions of hunger sensations. Differences, however, were detected in the responses following eating. Most notably, the bulimics reported feelings of irritability, nervousness, tenseness and depression which persisted 30 minutes later. These findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Arousal↗
PubMed2001

Eating behavior in anorexia nervosa--an excess of both orexigenic and anorexigenic signalling?

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a disorder characterized by abnormal eating behavior, weight regulation, and disturbances in attitudes and perceptions toward body weight and shape. Although progress has been made in the treatment of AN, a substantial portion of patients have a limited response to treatment. Multiple endocrine and metabolic changes occur after prolonged starvation, conserving energy and protein. A number of the endocrine findings in patients with AN may be secondary to adaptive mechanisms. However, AN differs from simple starvation in that excess of both feeding-stimulatory (orexigenic) and feeding-inhibitory (anorexigenic) signalling is characteristic, producing the "mixed" signal about satiety and desire to feed. This leads to a failure of the adaptive feeding response that is initiated by a decrease in leptin, an adiposity signal from fat tissue, and the resultant increase and decrease of orexigenic and anorexigenic signalling, respectively. The hypothesis of unbalanced shift of feeding-regulatory circuitry places anorexigenic corticotropin-releasing factor and orexigenic neuropeptide Y in the final common neurobiological substrate for AN. Therapeutic intervention using such receptor antagonists may lead to more successful and targeted psychopharmacological treatment.

Anorexia Nervosa↗
PubMed1998

Differential relation of psychological functioning with the history and experience of weight cycling.

Two measures of weight cycling and indexes of psychological functioning were examined in a large sample of dieters. History of weight cycling was assessed to include number of dieting attempts, total lifetime weight lost and regained, and number of weight cycles over 20 lb (9.1 kg). Experience of weight cycling measured perception of being a yo-yo dieter and perceived success at maintaining past weight losses. Experience was more strongly related than history to all psychological measures. Further, when controlling for the effects of age, body mass index, and experience, the relation between history and the psychological variables was nonsignificant. This finding suggests that an individual's perception of being a weight cycler may be more related to psychological problems than the actual number of pounds lost and regained over time.

Body Image↗
PubMed2001

Perception of tilt (somatogravic illusion) in response to sustained linear acceleration during space flight.

During the 1998 Neurolab mission (STS-90), four astronauts were exposed to interaural and head vertical (dorsoventral) linear accelerations of 0.5 g and 1 g during constant velocity rotation on a centrifuge, both on Earth and during orbital space flight. Subjects were oriented either left-ear-out or right-ear-out (Gy centrifugation), or lay supine along the centrifuge arm with their head off-axis (Gz centrifugation). Pre-flight centrifugation, producing linear accelerations of 0.5 g and 1 g along the Gy (interaural) axis, induced illusions of roll-tilt of 20 degrees and 34 degrees for gravito-inertial acceleration (GIA) vector tilts of 27 degrees and 45 degrees , respectively. Pre-flight 0.5 g and 1 g Gz (head dorsoventral) centrifugation generated perceptions of backward pitch of 5 degrees and 15 degrees , respectively. In the absence of gravity during space flight, the same centrifugation generated a GIA that was equivalent to the centripetal acceleration and aligned with the Gy or Gz axes. Perception of tilt was underestimated relative to this new GIA orientation during early in-flight Gy centrifugation, but was close to the GIA after 16 days in orbit, when subjects reported that they felt as if they were 'lying on side'. During the course of the mission, inflight roll-tilt perception during Gy centrifugation increased from 45 degrees to 83 degrees at 1 g and from 42 degrees to 48 degrees at 0.5 g. Subjects felt 'upside-down' during in-flight Gz centrifugation from the first in-flight test session, which reflected the new GIA orientation along the head dorsoventral axis. The different levels of in-flight tilt perception during 0.5 g and 1 g Gy centrifugation suggests that other non-vestibular inputs, including an internal estimate of the body vertical and somatic sensation, were utilized in generating tilt perception. Interpretation of data by a weighted sum of body vertical and somatic vectors, with an estimate of the GIA from the otoliths, suggests that perception weights the sense of the body vertical more heavily early in-flight, that this weighting falls during adaptation to microgravity, and that the decreased reliance on the body vertical persists early post-flight, generating an exaggerated sense of tilt. Since graviceptors respond to linear acceleration and not to head tilt in orbit, it has been proposed that adaptation to weightlessness entails reinterpretation of otolith activity, causing tilt to be perceived as translation. Since linear acceleration during in-flight centrifugation was always perceived as tilt, not translation, the findings do not support this hypothesis.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2000

Effect of dietary supplements and physical exercise on sensory perception, appetite, dietary intake and body weight in frail elderly subjects.

This present study investigated the effect of a 17-week intervention programme with nutrient-dense foods (enriched with vitamins and minerals at 25-100% of the Dutch recommended dietary allowance) and/or physical exercise in 159 frail elderly subjects (forty-six men, 113 women, mean age 78.7 (SD 5.6) years). Subjects were randomized into four groups: (1) control, (2) nutrition intervention, (3) exercise or (4) both nutrition intervention and exercise. Main outcome variables were sensory perception (smell test and questionnaire), appetite (questionnaire), energy intake (3 d food record) and body weight (on a weighing scale and with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements). At baseline, moderate but significant correlations were found between appetite and energy intake (r 0.30, P < 0.0001), between smell test and smell perception assessed by questionnaire (r 0.40, P < 0.0001) and between lean body weight and energy intake (r 0.50, P < 0.0001). Results after 17-weeks intervention revealed neither change in smell test scores (P = 0.19) nor in appetite (P = 0.17). A slight positive effect of exercise compared with non-exercising groups on energy intake (difference 0.5 MJ, P = 0.05) was shown next to a preserving effect of exercise on lean body mass (+0.08 kg) compared with a decrease (-0.4 kg) in non-exercisers (P < 0.02). The correlation between the change in lean body mass and change in energy intake was 0.18 (P = 0.05). In conclusion, an interesting preserving effect on lean body mass in frail elderly subjects due to 17 weeks of exercise was shown. Since a decline in lean body mass was observed in the non-exercisers, effects may be attributable to change in activity pattern. Changes in lean mass were also slightly, but significantly, correlated with changes in energy intake. In turn, energy intake was not related to a change in reported appetite or sensory perception. Nutrient-dense foods were not able to improve any of the outcome variables in this study.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Parents' perceptions of curricular issues affecting children's weight in elementary schools.

The purpose of this study was to examine Ohio parents' perceptions of the role of elementary schools in preventing childhood overweight. In the United States, overweight is the most widespread health threat facing children and adolescents. Schools may be a useful point of intervention in addressing the escalating prevalence of childhood overweight because children spend over half their day at school. A questionnaire was developed based primarily on the School Health Index, a tool developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help schools assess and improve their physical activity, healthy eating, tobacco use prevention, and safety policies and programs. Seven hundred surveys were sent to a random sample of Ohio parents of elementary school-aged children. This study (53% response rate) found that the majority (51-73%) of parents identified 14 items as very important in preventing childhood overweight, which is indicative of their support for these curricular topics within the elementary school. All items from the physical education component had less than 50% of the parents identifying these items as very important. The item that was least supported (16%) by the parents was measuring a child's body mass index. The majority (51%) of parents indicated their preference for elementary students' access to vending machines only if they contained nutritious foods and beverages, while 42% of parents preferred that elementary students should not be allowed access to vending machines at all. The findings from this study suggest that Ohio parents would be supportive of school-based interventions focusing on healthy eating, physical activity, and the school environment to help reduce the prevalence of overweight in elementary children.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Vertical linear self-motion perception during visual and inertial motion: more than weighted summation of sensory inputs.

We evaluated visual and vestibular contributions to vertical self motion perception by exposing subjects to various combinations of 0.2 Hz vertical linear oscillation and visual scene motion. The visual stimuli presented via a head-mounted display consisted of video recordings of the test chamber from the perspective of the subject seated in the oscillator. In the dark, subjects accurately reported the amplitude of vertical linear oscillation with only a slight tendency to underestimate it. In the absence of inertial motion, even low amplitude oscillatory visual motion induced the perception of vertical self-oscillation. When visual and vestibular stimulation were combined, self-motion perception persisted in the presence of large visual-vestibular discordances. A dynamic visual input with magnitude discrepancies tended to dominate the resulting apparent self-motion, but vestibular effects were also evident. With visual and vestibular stimulation either spatially or temporally out-of-phase with one another, the input that dominated depended on their amplitudes. High amplitude visual scene motion was almost completely dominant for the levels tested. These findings are inconsistent with self-motion perception being determined by simple weighted summation of visual and vestibular inputs and constitute evidence against sensory conflict models. They indicate that when the presented visual scene is an accurate representation of the physical test environment, it dominates over vestibular inputs in determining apparent spatial position relative to external space.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Health risks, past usage, and intention to use weight loss products in normal weight women with high and low body dysphoria.

OBJECTIVE: There are many health risks involved with the use of weight loss products by normal weight women. The mass media may compound this problem through the promotion of weight loss products and a thin body size. This study tested women's perceptions of different weight loss product ads to determine if body dysphoria (i.e., an over concern with body size and shape in normal weight people) was associated with risk beliefs, past behaviors, and intention toward using weight loss products. METHOD: Normal weight women (age range = 18-41 yr), who were classified as either high (n=45) or low (n=43) on a measure of body dysphoria, rated different weight loss products according to their perception of health risks, past behavior, and their intention to consume the products. These products were a dietary fat substitute (olestra), a prescription obesity medication (sibutramine), and an over-the-counter appetite suppressant (phenylpropanolamine). RESULTS: High body dysphoric women reported higher intentions to use the products as well as increased prior use of two of the three weight loss products. High body dysphoric women did not believe that these weight loss products were harmless. They recognized potential health risks associated with using such products, but nonetheless, expressed intention to use these weight loss products at a higher frequency. Also, several variables related to body image were found to effectively discriminate normal weight women at risk for abusing weight loss products. DISCUSSION: This study found that women who do not need to lose weight but have significant body image concerns were willing to use potentially harmful weight loss products despite the knowledge that such products might pose significant health risks. Techniques utilized by advertising regulatory agencies such as warning labels did not have a strong deterrent effect for stated intentions to use the products. Implications of these findings for public health policy issues were discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Association of self-perceived body weight status with dietary reporting by U.S. teens.

OBJECTIVE: Children's self perception of body weight and the medical definition of obesity show poor correlation. This study examined the independent associations of body mass index (BMI) and self-perceived weight status (considered self over-, under-, or right weight) with food reporting, nutrient intake estimates, and biomarkers of dietary exposure. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Dietary (one 24-hour recall), anthropometric, and biochemical data were from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1269 boys and 1385 girls, ages 12 to 18 years). Sex-specific multiple regression analyses were used to determine the association of BMI and self-perceived body weight status with reported intakes of energy, macronutrients, low-nutrient-dense foods, micronutrients, and serum concentrations of selected vitamins and carotenoids. RESULTS: Reported intakes of energy, macronutrients, number of eating occasions, percentage of energy from low-nutrient-dense foods, likelihood of meeting the standard of intake of micronutrients, and biomarkers were not different among boys and girls who perceived themselves as overweight relative to those who perceived themselves at the right weight (p > 0.05). In boys, BMI was a negative predictor of percentage of energy from low-nutrient-dense foods (p = 0.004) and intake of ascorbic acid (p = 0.04). BMI was inversely related to serum concentrations of most carotenoids (p < or = 0.002). DISCUSSION: Perceiving oneself as overweight was not associated with reporting of low-nutrient-dense foods, macronutrients, micronutrients, and biomarker status; BMI, however, was a significant predictor of several outcomes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The relationship between types of female athletic participation and female body type.

In the present study, the authors examined 53 female athletes drawn from 4 different sports and 55 female nonathletes. The athletes were divided into 2 groups: speed focused and technique focused. The nonathlete control group consisted of college women who had not participated in any varsity sports at the university level. Participants were measured on scales of body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with weight, and self-perceptions of body type and weight. Analyses revealed that (a) speed-focused athletes and technique-focused athletes did not differ significantly in their concerns about weight and body image, and (b) nonathletes expressed more dissatisfaction with their bodies than both of the athlete groups. Results are discussed with regard to associations between female sports participation and body image.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Perception of unilateral lower extremity weightbearing during bilateral upright stance.

The primary purpose of this study was to describe the error in 61 healthy subjects' perceptions of weight-bearing at three target levels during bilateral upright stance. The secondary purpose was to describe the effects of age, sex, lower extremity dominance and target weightbearing level on the error in perceptions of weightbearing. Weightbearing was determined while subjects stood on digital scales. They adjusted their weight in an attempt to bear 25, 50, and 75% of their weight through a designated lower extremity. Three trials were allowed at each weightbearing target, and the results were averaged. Each subject's error in perception of weightbearing at each target level was determined by taking the absolute value of the target percent weightbearing minus the mean actual percent weightbearing. The mean errors at the 25, 50, and 75% targets were 7.3, 3.3, and 7.7%, respectively. The magnitude of the error was unrelated to age. An analysis of variance showed that error was not dependent on sex or whether the dominant lower extremity was used for making judgements. The error did differ between target levels. Clinicians cannot assume, based on the findings of this study, that individuals can accurately judge the percent weightbearing they are placing through one of their lower extremities during bilateral upright stance.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Comparison of perceived health to physiological measures of health in Black and White women.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and sedentary lifestyles are prevalent among minority women. This study compared perceived and physiological measures of health in 35 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and 155 non-Hispanic White (NHW) sedentary women. METHODS: Self-perception of body weight, physical shape and appearance, physical fitness, and eating habits were assessed via questionnaire using 10-point scales (1 = poor, 10 = excellent), and height, weight, aerobic capacity (V(O(2))(max)), and 4-day food records were directly measured. RESULTS: Although body mass index (BMI, 30.3 +/- 5.3 vs 27.2 +/- 4.5 kg/m(2)) and weight (82.7 +/- 16.5 vs 73.1 +/- 12.9 kg) were greater (both P = 0.0001) in NHB, groups were similar in self-perception of physical shape and appearance and weight. V(O(2))(max) was lower in NHB compared to NHW (20.7 +/- 4.5 vs 23.5 +/- 4.6 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1), P = 0.002), despite no difference between groups in self-perception of physical fitness. Finally, there was no difference between groups for self-perception of eating habits and percentage of calories derived from fat (%fat). The results were unchanged after adjusting for age, education, and income, except that %fat was greater in NHB compared to NHW (35.7 +/- 6.3 vs 33.8 +/- 6.9%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Although NHB were heavier, more obese, less fit, and consumed a greater %fat than NHW, they perceived their weight, physical shape and appearance, physical fitness, and eating habits to be no worse than those of their White counterparts. The perceptions of NHB regarding their weight, fitness, and eating habits may represent barriers to change.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Weight loss practices among Malaysian adults.

The practice of losing weight is gaining popularity globally with an increase in health consciousness among the general public. A survey was conducted in seven shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur and its neighbouring towns to assess the weight-loss practices of the general public. Out of the 1032 people approached by the researcher, 389 (37.7%) admitted that they had tried to lose weight before. Of these respondents, 50.4% had the wrong perceptions about their weight with 39.1% of the respondents having BMI lower than what they had perceived. The most common weight-loss method used was dieting (89.5%), followed by exercise (81%) and the use of slimming teas (24.9%). Exercise (79.0%) was perceived as the most effective method for losing weight, followed by dieting (71.6%). Most respondents (60.6%) obtained their weight-loss products from the pharmacies but only 34.9% of these respondents had consulted the pharmacists on these products. Therefore, pharmacists should play a more active role in assisting the general public to lose weight successfully and safely.

Adolescent↗