Assessing the effects of body mass index on body size dissatisfaction in preadolescents in an impoverished community in Fresno, California /by Shelly Matson.

The rate of overweight and obese children and adolescents has been increasing for the past two decades. During the teenage years, being overweight even to a moderate degree may be an obstacle in a society consumed with thinness. This study assessed the body image perceptions of preadolescents living in a community where 70% of the individuals were living below the poverty line. A total of 62 preadolescents ages 9 to 13 participated. Height and weight were measured to determine BMI-for-age percentile in this sample group, and all participants completed a body image survey. An ANOVA and LSD post hoc test were conducted to determine the significance of the results. The study concludes that the obese group had more body image dissatisfaction than the normal weight group. The study also discovered that there was no significant difference between male and female body dissatisfaction. Finally, the study suggests that both genders should be included if an intervention for positive body image were to be implemented with special attention given to the obese group