How Do I Look? Body Image Perceptions among University Students from England and Denmark

Walid El Ansari, Susanne Vodder Clausen, Andi Mabhala and Christiane Stock
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Walid El Ansari: Faculty of Sport, Health and Social Care, University of Gloucestershire, Gloucester, UK
Susanne Vodder Clausen: Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Andi Mabhala: Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, Chester, UK
Christiane Stock: Unit for Health Promotion Research, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Niels Bohrs Vej 9-10, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark

IJERPH, 2010, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: This study examined differences in body image perception between university students in two European countries, United Kingdom and Denmark. A total of 816 British and 548 Danish university students participated in a cross-sectional survey. A self-administered questionnaire assessed socio-demographic information, body image perception (as “too thin”, “just right” or “too fat”), and the association of related factors with body image perception (nutrition behaviour, social support, perceived stressors and quality of life). The proportions of students who perceived themselves as “too thin”, “just right”, or “too fat” were 8.6%, 37.7%, and 53.7% respectively. Multi-factorial logistic regression analysis showed that students who perceived themselves as “too fat” were more likely to be from the British university, to be females, to be older than 30 years, to report stress due to their financial situation and were less likely to have a high quality of life.The findings highlight the need for interventions with focus on healthy food choices whilst acknowledging financial stressors and quality of life.

Keywords: body image perception; student health; quality of life; gender; nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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