AGREEMENT BETWEEN ACTUAL AND PERCEIVED BODY IMAGE IN GENERAL POPULATION OF LAHORE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71000/apmxyj97Keywords:
Body image, Perception, , Body Mass Index, Cross-Sectional Studies, Health Behavior, Obesity, Self-ConceptAbstract
Background: Obesity continues to rise globally and remains a major public health challenge, contributing significantly to the burden of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions. One key barrier to effective weight management is the misperception of body image, where individuals fail to accurately assess their weight status. Encouraging accurate self-awareness through health education and behavioral interventions is crucial for promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing obesity-related complications.
Objective: To determine the level of agreement between actual and perceived body image among the general population of Lahore.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore over a six-month period, following ethical approval from the institutional review board. A total of 300 individuals were selected using simple random sampling from urban and rural areas. Data were collected using a validated Figure Rating Scale, which included sections on demographic information and self-perceived body image. Actual body weight status was assessed through direct measurements of height and weight to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). The degree of agreement between perceived and actual body image was evaluated using Cohen’s Kappa statistics and Pearson correlation.
Results: Of the 300 participants, 47.5% were male (n=143) and 52.5% female (n=157). Based on BMI, 6% were underweight, 47.3% normal, 27.7% overweight, and 19% obese. In contrast, perceived weight status revealed 7.7% as underweight, 39.3% as normal, 45% as overweight, and 8% as obese. The mean BMI was 25.51±5.62 and the mean figure rating score was 4.81±1.75. A strong positive correlation was observed (r=0.74, p<0.05). The overall agreement between actual and perceived body weight status was 53.88%, with 46.12% showing disagreement.
Conclusion: There was a weak agreement between perceived and actual body image, highlighting a substantial gap in self-awareness. Promoting body image awareness through targeted education may play a vital role in reducing obesity and encouraging healthier lifestyle choices.
References
Vidal C, Crisosto Jara C, Olivares-Keller D, Caro P. [Agreement between self-perception of body image and nutritional status in a Chilean population]. Nutr Hosp. 2022;39(6):1298-305.
Jiang K, Zhang Y, Xie C, Wang T, Zhao L, Zhao W, et al. Association between body weight misperception and snacking patterns among adolescents: a population-based cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):2550.
Shabu SA, Saka MH, Boya MN, Ahmed HM, Zaki SM, Hettinga F, et al. Association between body weight perception and actual body mass index among adult women in Erbil city, Iraq. J Health Popul Nutr. 2024;43(1):15.
Madalosso MM, Schaan B, Cureau FV. ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT PERCEPTION AND QUALITY OF DIET IN BRAZILIAN ADOLESCENTS. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2020;38:e2020057.
Niswah I, Rah JH, Roshita A. The Association of Body Image Perception With Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors Among Adolescents in Indonesia. Food Nutr Bull. 2021;42(1_suppl):S109-s21.
Bordeleau M, Gilbert JA, Alméras N, Monthuy-Blanc J, Gagnon J, Mathieu M, et al. Body image and health-related behaviors among fitspirit participants. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):1764.
Mohamed BAA, Idrees MHD. Body image dissatisfaction and its relation to body mass index among female medical students in Sudan: across-sectional study 2020-2021. BMC Womens Health. 2023;23(1):593.
Toselli S, Grigoletto A, Zaccagni L, Rinaldo N, Badicu G, Grosz WR, et al. Body image perception and body composition in early adolescents: a longitudinal study of an Italian cohort. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1381.
Darimont T, Karavasiloglou N, Hysaj O, Richard A, Rohrmann S. Body weight and self-perception are associated with depression: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2016. J Affect Disord. 2020;274:929-34.
Gonçalves L, Zanlorenci S, Borges LL, de Lima TR, Silva DAS. Body Weight Dissatisfaction and Health Risk Behaviors in Adolescents. Percept Mot Skills. 2023;130(1):340-63.
Tan Y, Lu W, Gu W, Yu Z, Zhu J. Body Weight, Weight Self-Perception, Weight Teasing and Their Association with Health Behaviors among Chinese Adolescents-The Shanghai Youth Health Behavior Survey. Nutrients. 2022;14(14).
Suliman S, L LvdH, Kilian S, Bröcker E, Asmal L, Emsley R, et al. Cognitive insight is associated with perceived body weight in overweight and obese adults. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):534.
Saeedzadeh Sardahaee F, Kvaløy K. Cross-sectional study of BMI, weight concern, body size perception, dieting and mental distress in adolescents: The HUNT Study. BMJ Open. 2022;12(4):e045962.
Cota BC, Costa FR, Juvanhol LL, Ribeiro SAV, Priore SE, de Faria ER, et al. Factors associated with normal-weight obesity in adolescents. Br J Nutr. 2023;129(12):2036-45.
Ersöz Alan B, Akdemir D, Cetin FC, Karahan S. Mindful Eating, Body Weight, and Psychological Well-Being in Adolescence. Child Obes. 2022;18(4):246-53.
Kanozire B, Pretorius D. Obese patients' dissatisfaction with weight, body image and clinicians' interaction at a district hospital; Gauteng. Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2023;15(1):e1-e9.
Ford Y, Pickett S. Predictors of Body Image Perception among African American Women. West J Nurs Res. 2020;42(11):903-9.
Yamashiro K, Yamaguchi N, Sagawa K, Tanei S, Ogata F, Nakamura T, et al. Relationship of masked obesity to self-reported lifestyle habits, ideal body image, and anthropometric measures in Japanese university students: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2023;18(2):e0281599.
Escrivá D, Moreno-Latorre E, Caplliure-Llopis J, Benet I, Barrios C. Relationship of Overweight and Obesity with Body Self-Image Dissatisfaction in Urban Mediterranean Adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(15).
Sánchez-Rojas AA, García-Galicia A, Vázquez-Cruz E, Montiel-Jarquín Á J, Aréchiga-Santamaría A. Self-image, self-esteem and depression in children and adolescents with and without obesity. Gac Med Mex. 2022;158(3):118-23.
Albasheer O, Hakami N, Abdelwahab SI, Alqassim AY, Alharbi A, Abdelmola AO, et al. Utilisation of the health belief model to study the behavioural intentions relating to obesity management among university students: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2024;14(5):e079783.
Côté M, Forouhar V, Edache IY, Alberga AS. Weight bias among Canadians: Associations with sociodemographics, BMI and body image constructs. Soc Sci Med. 2024;354:117061.
Di Nardo M, Conti C, Di Francesco G, Nicolardi G, Guagnano MT, Porcelli P. What is the "weight" of body mass index on sexual functioning in women? A mediation model. Eat Weight Disord. 2021;26(6):1801-11.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Amina Riaz, Nimra Fazal, Muhammad Usman Ismail, Qurat-ul-Ain, Komal Iftikhar, Adeela Mushtaq, Hira Nawaz (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
