title: Body size perception and ideal body size in overweight and obese young adult women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the differences among actual body size, perceived body size, and ideal body size in overweight and obese young adult women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Actual body size was assessed by body mass index (BMI), while self-perceived and ideal body sizes were assessed by the Body image assessment tool-body dimension. Descriptive statistics were calculated and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on actual BMI as a function of perceived BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 42 participants included in the study, 12 were overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30), 18 were obese 1 (30 ≤ BMI < 35), and 12 were obese 2 (35 ≤ BMI ≤ 39.48). The mean ideal body size of participants was 25.34 ± 1.33. Participants in general perceived their body size (BMI: 35.82 ± 1.06) to be higher than their actual body size (32.84 ± 0.95). Overweight participants had a significantly higher mean body size misperception than obese 2 individuals (µ dif = -6.68, p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perception accuracy of body size differs in women by BMI. Weight loss programs need to be tailored to consider body size misperception in order to improve treatment outcomes for overweight and obese young women.
authors.affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. hlerner@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Hannah M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6113-8762
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klapes
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mummert
authors.affiliation: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. echa5@emory.edu.
authors.forename: EunSeok
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cha
mesh_terms: D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012858:Size Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body image; Body size perception; Obese; Overweight; Women; Young adults