The relationship between women’s body satisfaction and anthropometric factors

Objective: Body weight is of physical and psychological importance to women; it is associated with health status, physical activity, body image, and self-esteem. Overweight women are most susceptible to being stigmatized for their weight due to a cultural preference for women to be thin. Women have reported more negative experiences due to weight stigma than men have. We investigated the relationship between body satisfaction and anthropometric factors in a sample of middle aged Iranian women. Method: Data were collected from 58 middle aged urban women using convenience sampling method. The women expressed their perceptions of current and ideal body image, which allowed assessment of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Heights, weights, waist and hip circumference were measured, and body mass index was calculated. Body satisfaction was determined using a BASS scale. Result: Mean age and education of the participants were 34.4 and 8.3, respectively. Only 17.2% of women were physically active. Approximately, 38% of women were overweight and 48%were obese, but 27.6% reported a diet history. Mean body satisfaction rate was about 60%. There was a statistical relationship between height satisfaction and facial features, body weight, upper & lower limbs appearance and muscles (p<0.01). We found an inverse correlation between weight satisfaction and body mass index (p<0.01). Conclusion: body satisfaction was correlated indirectly with BMI and hip circumference and directly with WHR index (p<0.05). Addressing these issues may help to reduce the negative effect of weight perceptions, as well as offer a way for women to address multiple aspects of their psychological well-being.