Disentangling the role of BMI, Weight Perception, and Body Dissatisfaction in Children’s School-Related Problems

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Health, Growth, Injury

Abstract

Prior research has identified links between body image and school outcomes in adolescents. Perception of being overweight, higher body mass index (BMI) and body image dissatisfaction are related to poorer school performance, lower classroom participation, and decreased school engagement in preadolescent children and adolescents (Finn et al., 2018; Florin et al., 2011; Mikkilä et al., 2003; Guimond et al., submitted). However, these variables have yet to be studied in parallel, making it difficult to know specifically which aspects of body image are most impactful regarding school experiences, especially in childhood. Therefore, the present study examined the degree to which different aspects of body image (BMI, weight perception, and body dissatisfaction) influenced school-related anxiety and performance in elementary school students.

The sample included 133 Canadian children from 97 families (Mage=9.02, Rangeage= 7 to 12). Children’s weight perception was measured by asking parents how their child perceives their weight on a 5-point scale ranging from “very slim” to “very heavy” (Monaci & Nuvoli, 2002). Parent reports of their child’s height and weight were used to calculate BMI. Body dissatisfaction was measured using six items of the Child Body Esteem Scale (Coyne et al., 2016). Children’s school anxiety was measured using two items of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Short Form: “This child is scared when he/she has to take a test” and “This child worries that he/she will do badly at school” (Ahlen et al., 2018). Children’s school performance was measured using parent reports of children’s school grades on a 5-point scale ranging from “way below class average” to “way above class average”.

Generalized estimating equations revealed significant associations between body dissatisfaction and school performance/anxiety. Specifically, children’s overall school performance was lower when they wished they were better looking (B= -0.23, SE= 0.10, p= .016). Children’s test anxiety was significantly higher when they disliked their body (B= 0.21, SE= 0.10, p= .039), talked more about their weight (B= 0.26, SE= 0.10, p= .008), and when they wished they were fatter (B= 0.45, SE= 0.11, p= .002) or better looking (B= 0.26, SE= 0.09, p= .003). Children were more fearful of poor school performance when they disliked their body (B= 0.29, SE= 0.12, p= .020), felt bad about their appearance (B= 0.28, SE= 0.12, p= .015), and wished they were fatter (B= 0.30, SE= 0.14, p= .037) or better looking (B= 0.32, SE= 0.11, p= .005).

To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a link between body dissatisfaction and school anxiety/performance in children. Furthermore, our results show that children’s body dissatisfaction plays a larger role in school performance and anxiety than does BMI and weight perception, which were nonsignificant predictors across all our models. In other words, children’s acceptance (or lack thereof) of their body appears to influence how they perform academically and cope with school stressors, above and beyond their actual weight and body size.

Authors

• Philip MacGregor, University of Ottawa
  Presenting Author

• Madison MacLachlan, University of Ottawa
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elizabeth St. John, University of Ottawa
  Non-Presenting Author

• Fanny-Alexandra Guimond, University of Ottawa
  Non-Presenting Author