Body dissatisfaction among young children: age and sex differences

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Body dissatisfaction among young children and boys particularly is seldom reported. We compared how Chinese primary school students in Hong Kong rated their ideal and perceived body shape with a focus on age and sex differences. MATERIALS AND SUBJECTS: In 2005–06, 3043 primary 2–4 students (55.7% boys) aged 7–10 from 20 primary schools completed a health questionnaire. Students selected from nine male or female body shape figures of increasing size (one thinnest and nine fattest) that best represented their perceived and ideal body shape, respectively. A discrepancy between the two measures denoted body dissatisfaction. RESULTS: More boys (73.4%) had body dissatisfaction than girls (66.2%) and to a greater extent (P < 0.001). The table shows that overall, boys had a larger mean ideal than perceived body shape (3.98 vs. 3.80, P < 0.001), and such discrepancy was significant within each age from age seven onwards. In contrast, girls generally had a smaller ideal than perceived body shape (3.03 vs. 3.10, P = 0.02). At age seven, girls were like boys, tended to have larger ideal than perceived body shape (P = 0.27). However, from age eight onwards girls had smaller ideal than perceived body shape, with significant difference at age eight (3.06 vs. 3.20, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Chinese boys and girls, starting at the age of 7 or 8, have significant but different body dissatisfaction, with boys desiring a bigger and girls a slimmer body shape. Health education on body image usually only targets secondary students. Our findings suggest that both primary school boys and girls should also be included. Funding: Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health.