23rd Annual Student Research Conference
Perception of Body Image in Female College Students
Kathryn E. Spooner
Prof. Liz Jorn, Dr. Alex J. Koch, and Dr. Jerry Mayhew, Faculty Mentors
The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of body image in college-aged females. The sample consisted of females (n=49, height= 64.8 inches 2.4, weight= 131.9 pounds 13.2, age=20 .2years 1.1) who completed a Body Cathexis Scale and a Body Composition/Silhouette Matching Test. A Wilcoxon Signed Rank test indicated they felt an acceptable size should be significantly lower (Z = 5.94, p<0.01) than their current size. Subjects also had a significant desire to be a smaller size (Z=3.79, p<.001) than their current size. Pearson Correlation showed a significant correlation between BMI and the subjects perceived size (r = 0.72, p<.01). There was a negative correlation between the subjects height and overall satisfaction with body image (r = -0.37, p<.01) which indicates that shorter females were less satisfied with their current size. Therefore, college females could benefit from programming which emphasizes healthy body image.
Keywords: Body Cathexis Scale, Body Image, BMI, Body Composition, Silhouette Matching Test, Female
Topic(s):Exercise Science
Health Science
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 4-15
Location: SUB-GEO
Time: 4:15