Be thinner or larger? Correlates of body dissatisfaction in a large sample of French-Canadian children

Objective: To assess body dissatisfaction among children between 9 and 14 years and to examine factors (age, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), perceived shape, and self-esteem) associated with wanting a thinner or a larger shape. Study design: Through at-school questionnaires, 1,515 preadolescent children (51.2% girls) were asked to fill out the Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory and the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (body dissatisfaction). Trained assessors then weighed and measured the students individually. Results: Overall, 50.5% of girls wanted a thinner shape compared to 35.9% of boys. More boys wanted a larger shape compared to girls (21.1% vs. 7.2%). Most of the preadolescents who were overweight or obese were unsatisfied whereas 58.0% of girls and 41.6% of boys who were underweight were satisfied with their body. Results of a multinomial logistic regression revealed that age, gender, BMI, perceived shape, and self-esteem were significant correlates of the four body dissatisfaction contrasts (wanting a slightly thinner, much thinner, slightly larger, and much larger shape) and explained 50% of the variance. An interaction between gender and perceived shape was found, revealing that girls who perceived themselves as having a larger shape were more likely to desire a thinner shape than boys. Conclusions: The high prevalence rate of body dissatisfaction among children suggests that current approaches in our society to prevent problems related to body image must be improved. The different results between girls and boys highlight the need to take into account gender differences when designing prevention programs that aim to decrease body dissatisfaction

An Incremental Shuttle Walk Test to Estimate Maximal Aerobic Functional Capacity

Background: The goal of the present study was to compare the maximum walking speed and peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) obtained during the 6-min walk test (6 MWT) and an incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) in a trained older population. Methods: A total of 22 older adults (16 female and 6 male) with a group mean age of 70&#177;5.8 yr (range 58 to 79) completed the 6 MWT and ISWT within a 2 wk period. Heart rate (HR) and VO2 peak were measured during each test with a portable metabolic cart (Cosmed, K4B2). The VO2 peak, the maximum walking speed and the total distance walked measured during both tests (6 MWT and ISWT) were compared. Results: A total of 110 recordings for the VO2 peak were obtained and analyzed. Strong correlations were found for the VO2 peak and the walking speed (r=0.91 and r=0.89, respectively, for 6 MWT and ISWT). VO2 peak values obtained with the ISWT were significantly greater (P < 0.05) than with the 6 MWT (21.6 &#177; 5.3 vs 18.9 ml/kgmin &#177; 4.5, respectively). There was no difference between sexes. In addition, the maximum heart rate as predicted from age during the ISWT was reached by all participants while it was not during the 6 MWT. Conclusion: Thus, the ISWT appears to a better tool to assess the maximal aerobic functional capacity in older healthy adults based on the higher VO2 peak values obtained in comparison to the 6 MWT