Rural urban differences in weight, body image, and dieting behavior among adolescent Egyptian schoolgirls

Abstract

Overweight and obesity prevalence among adolescents is increasing worldwide and may be associated with increased risk for the development of obesity and chronic diseases in adulthood. Dissatisfaction with weight and body shapes is a contributor to the growing incidence of adolescent eating disorders. Our purpose was to compare the relationship between body weight and body image in a convenience sample of rural and urban girls. We also wanted to examine the influence of the mothers on their daughters by asking the girls how their mothers would classify their body shapes. Three hundred and forty adolescent Egyptian schoolgirls representing Cairo and surrounding rural areas were studied. The girls were from private and public schools. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Body image was determined by asking participants to indicate which of five silhouettes of a female body most closely resembled her own current body size. We also asked them to select the silhouette that closely resembled their mothers' current body size. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reference standards, 35% of the girls were ≥85th percentile, while 13% were ≥95th percentile. Overweight was more prevalent in urban than rural girls and in those with higher socio-economic status than in lower socio-economic status girls. Girls' perceptions of how their mothers viewed their bodies differed from how the girls viewed their own bodies. From a policy point of view, these data underscore the need to consider not only the health risks associated with overweight and its distribution on the body, but also the weight and body image of the target audience in the design of clinical and public health intervention programs worldwide.