Self-perception of body image in an Australian working population

In Australia the norm it is to be overweight or obese, with current estimates being nearly two-thirds for adults. If efforts to halt the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity are to be successful, individuals need to first be able to approximately appraise their own body size. Several basic measures, such as the Body Mass Index (BMI) or waist circumference, are available to assess adiposity. Use of these measurements have been encouraged through health promotion campaigns, along with interpretation guides and online calculators. Body composition self-perception questions and measured adiposity were collected in a large cohort of Australian adults who were employed across a range of workplace environments, in primarily sedentary positions, and voluntarily enrolled in a workplace program. The aim of this project is to assess if independently measured adiposity is associated with self-perceived body image in sedentary occupation adult employees. Methodological approach: This project will analyse whether there is an association between independently measured body adiposity, self-perceived body image, ideal body image, perceived average adult body size, and perceived healthy adult body size. Data on the 765 participants enrolled in a workplace program, aimed at enhancing physical activity levels, will be used. The “Global Corporate Challenge® (GCC®) Evaluation Study” aimed to evaluate whether participation in a four month, pedometer-based, low-impact, workplace physical-activity program reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study was conducted in a large cohort of Australian adults who were employed across a range of workplace environments, in primarily sedentary positions, and voluntarily enrolled in a workplace program, the GCC®, aimed at enhancing physical activity levels. The study measured a variety of risk-factors (behaviour, anthropometry and pathology) immediately after the intervention (4 months) and in the long term (at 12 months and 18 months). The project would include: a literature search for relevant articles, statistical analysis (linear and logistic regression), interpretation of data, and discussion of results within the broader context of the literature. Project Location: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, AMREP Campus ETHICS Authorisation Number: The Monash University Standing Committee on Ethics in Research involving Humans approved this study. CF08/0271 – 2008000125