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Description
The purpose of the current study was to determine the relationship between the body image of children aged 10-13 years old of diverse ethnic backgrounds and the body image of their mothers. Body image disturbance is known to be an important risk factor in the development of eating disorders. It has been shown that body image disturbances increase with age. Research has also shown that children of mothers with eating disorders are at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder in the future. Seventy six (boys and girls) preadolescents (mean age = 11.3, SD = .86) and their mothers were part of a study known as the Healthy Youth and Parenting Program (HYPP). The purpose of the HYPP study was to increase Calcium intake among pre-adolescents. The current study used data at the baseline to study the relationship between the body image of the children and their mothers. Body image was measured using the Eating disorder inventory (EDI-2) which was completed by both the mothers and the kids. The subscales used to determine body image were drive for thinness (DT) and body dissatisfaction (BD). The EDI-2 has been shown to be a well validated and reliable measure. The mean body dissatisfaction for children was found to be 5.05 (SD = 5.58) and that for their mothers was 11.73 (SD = 7.27). The mean DT for kids was found to be 3.25 (SD = 4.40), whereas the DT for their mothers was found to be 4.70 (SD = 4.58). There was found to be a significant correlation between the child body dissatisfaction and the DT of their mothers (p < 0.01).Child body image was significantly correlated with child BMI (p < 0.01). The mean BMI for males was 21.4 and that for females was 22.7. The mean BMI for white children was 20.7, that for Hispanic children was found to be 23.7, for black children it was 20 and for other it was 24.4. The mean BMI for mothers in the sample was 27.7. Future research in the area is needed to further explore this relationship between mother's body image and their children's body image. This study was done on a diverse ethnic population. It is now known that body image disturbances are not a rare occurrence among minorities. Due to the recent census data indicating the rise in the Hispanic population, it is important that research in body image be done for Hispanics as there are not many studies currently that do so. The effects of environmental factors such as peer pressure, media influence, sociocultural factors and socioeconomic status on children's body image was not recorded in this study and should be recorded in the future.
