Girls' and Boys' Body Image Concerns, 1997

A mixed methods collection. <p>The main aim of this project was to broaden and deepen understanding of 'normal' adolescent boys' and girls' body image concerns, in order to provide an appropriate basis for interventions aimed at promoting healthier diet and lifestyle. The project combined quantitative and qualitative methods. Data on nearly 5,000 adolescents, collected as part of a DH-funded survey on smoking were analysed to determine the effects of gender, age and pubescent status on body image concerns and related attitudes. This analysis was used to design a qualitative study, carried out in one of the schools that had participated in the earlier study. Adolescents in Year 8, 10 and 12 talked about their feelings concerning body parts, fatness, physical attractiveness, media and peer influences, and strategies for achieving the 'ideal body' in both focus group discussions and individual interviews. One adolescent from each focus group was interviewed individually, in order to allow a systematic comparison of these two qualitative methods.<br> <br> <br>