THE INFLUENCE OF BODY-FAT CONTENT AND BONE DIAMETER MEASUREMENTS ON BODY DISSATISFACTION IN ADULT WOMEN

This study investigated the simultaneous influence of various anthropometric factors on body dissatisfaction in adult women while controlling for psychological and behavioral factors known to covary with it. Multiple regression analyses confirmed that neuroticism, skeletal frame size, and percent body fat were positively, and age and physical activity inversely, related to dissatisfaction. Subsequent analyses substituted separate bone diameter measurements in place of the composite frame size variable and found that hip diameter, correcting for fatness, was a more salient factor in the determination of body dissatisfaction than the more general estimate of frame size. In pursuit of the perfect ultra-slender body women are encouraged to diet and exercise for weight loss more than ever before. It appears, however, that anatomical factors that are resistant to change by caloric restriction or physical activity, are a significant influence in the degree to which women report discontent with their body shape. (C) 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.