Body weight perceptions and obesity amongst university employed South African women.

This study aimed to rigorously assess body weight perceptions according to several body image dimensions in rural, employed African women. One hundred and thirty-two employed black African women were recruited at a rural South African university. Participants were asked to choose their 'ideal' and 'feel' perceived body size from nine standardized body image silhouettes, varying according to body size. Three body image dimensions of interest were measured, (1) 'feel' minus 'ideal' index (FID), (2) perceived minus the actual weight status (PAD) index and (3) valorization of stoutness index (participants that chose silhouettes corresponding to overweight/obesity). Using the FID dimension, older obese women had significantly higher desire for leanness, with small effects, compared with lean and younger obese women (p = .001). Those women who correctly perceived body weight (PAD = 0), were mostly obese and older (p < .0001), with moderate effects, than non-obese women. Social valorization of stoutness was observed in 58.3% of the sample, but was higher in older obese women, with small effects, compared with lean women (p = .0001). This study has shown that the majority of the study population demonstrated a social valorization of stoutness, despite a desire to be thinner and the ability to adequately perceive their own body weight in accordance with BMI.

Walking as a feasible means of effecting positive changes in BMI, waist, and blood pressure in black South African women.

BACKGROUND: In the context of a growing obesity pandemic in sub-Saharan African countries little is known on how to address the problem /disease in the region. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial of walking to decrease obesity was conducted using 115 women employed at the University of Venda, Limpopo province. 49 of these participants were randomly selected into an intervention group, which walked for 30 minutes, 3 days per week for a period of 12 weeks on treadmills located in the university gym. The control group were instructed to continue with usual activities. Baseline and follow-up body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure (BP), body size discrepancy (measured by a feel-minus-ideal (FID) index), and physical activity were collected on all participants. RESULTS: The absolute changes in BMI, waist, systolic and diastolic BP in the intervention group was -0.80, -1.50, -4.02 and -2.37, respectively. In contrast, the absolute changes for these were +1.05, +1.73, +4.64 and +4.94, respectively in the control group. The results of the FID analysis showed that most had a desire for thinness. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrates that positive changes in BMI, waist, and BP were observed in the intervention group, indicating the potential scalability of the intervention.