To be thin but not healthy - The body-image dilemma may affect health among female university students in China

Lei Zhang, Haihong Qian and Hua Fu

PLOS ONE, 2018, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: An increasing number of young girls have attached great importance to their body-image in China. Body-image dissatisfaction has resulted in increased weight loss behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that were associated with underweight body-image in female college students. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 2,023 young female participants from eight Chinese universities. In addition, 160 participants were involved in a qualitative study. The ideal body-image and the factors that influence weight were determined using descriptive and analytical statistics. We found that 1,484 out of 2,023 participants (73.36%) had taken action to lose weight in the past six months. Among these participants, 618 (30.55%, out of 2023) participants were already underweight, and 1,161 (57.39%, out of 2023) would like to be much thinner, which would lead to more underweight individuals. Moreover, non-scientific physical activity and diets were found to lead participants to the underweight subgroup. The participants’ Body Mass Index (BMI), peer advice and western culture influenced the problematic thin-ideal (ideal BMI

Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0205282

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205282

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