Associations of Anthropometric, Behavioral, and Social Factors on Level of Body Esteem in Peripubertal Girls.
Elizabeth A Szamreta, Bo Qin, Pamela A Ohman-Strickland and 4 others
PMID 27902543WHAT IT FOUND
Girls aged 9 or 10 who were at a healthy weight and active for seven or more hours weekly reported higher body-esteem scores.
Television and video game time was not linked. Puberty and media role models were not linked once BMI was considered.
Key findings
01Girls classified as overweight or obese had lower body-esteem scores than girls classified as underweight or healthy weight, at 14.09 versus 17.17 in the adjusted model.
02Girls reported physically active seven or more hours per week had higher body-esteem scores than less active girls, 17.00 versus 16.39, after adjusting for the girl's BMI.
03Time spent watching television or playing video games was not associated with body-esteem score.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The analysis used 120 girls from a parent cohort of 200 because the body-esteem questionnaire was added after data collection began, so the girls included may not represent the whole study. The sample was mostly White, high-income, and had highly educated mothers, so findings may not apply to other populations. The sample was small, which limited statistical power. Physical activity and screen time were reported by mothers, not measured objectively, and computer use was not included in screen time. Role-model questions were not a validated measure. The data were cross-sectional and self-reported, so associations cannot show cause.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. The paper lists NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing physical activity will raise body-esteem scores. The study was cross-sectional, used mother-reported activity, and found only an association among girls aged 9 or 10.