title: Perceived and Ideal Body Image in Young Women in South Western Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate perceived and ideal body image (BI) and associated factors among female university students in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 663 university female students. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, BMI, and BI perception (the 9-figure silhouette) were obtained. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An agreement between actual, perceived, and ideal BI was found in 23% of the participants. Behavioral (activity levels), social (presence of obese parents and fathers' level of education), and economic factors (households' monthly income, number of cars in the household, and kind of residence) were positively and significantly associated with the desire to be thinner. Similarly, socioeconomic associations (number of sisters and number of cars in the household) correlated positively and significantly with the desire to be heavier.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The whole family should rather be considered in interventions related to appearance concerns and BI discrepancies. Furthermore, campaigns targeting improvement of adolescents' physical self-image should be a major priority of the public health sector.
authors.affiliation: The PRO-CARE Group, School of Health and Society, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden ; Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Atika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalaf
authors.affiliation: The PRO-CARE Group, School of Health and Society, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Westergren
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Medical Faculty, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Vanja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Berggren
authors.affiliation: Åstrand Laboratory of Work Physiology, The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, 114 86 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Örjan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Ekblom
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Exercise Physiology Research Laboratory, College of Education and Obesity Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hazzaa M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Al-Hazzaa
mesh_terms: D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005220:Fathers / Q000193:education; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012649:Self Concept; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult