PHILADELPHIA, May 11, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A woman's poor self image can
take a toll on her health but U.S. researchers say an extremely good body image
can also take its toll on a woman's health.
Dr. Marisa Rose of the Temple University School of Medicine studied the body
image perceptions of 81 underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese women in
the Philadelphia area.
The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found
that as their body mass index increased, two-thirds of the women said they still
felt they were at an ideal body size.
"So the question for doctors then becomes, 'How can we effectively treat our
overweight and obese patients, when they don't feel they're in harm's way?'"
Rose said in a statement. "It stresses a need for culturally sensitive education
for this population."
All participants were measured for height and weight and completed an anonymous
survey. Each woman was asked which size she felt she was at currently and what
her ideal size would be.
Most of the participants selected illustrations of women in the
normal-to-overweight range and about 20 percent of the obese women selected an
overweight or obese silhouette as their ideal body shape, the study said.
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