The association between global self-esteem, physical self-concept and actual versus ideal body size rating in Chinese primary school children

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the discrepancy between actual and ideal body size rating is related to Chinese children's global self-esteem and global physical self-concept.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of school children who completed questionnaires related to global self-esteem, global physical self-concept, and actual vs ideal body size.

SUBJECTS: A total of 386 Chinese children (44% girls and 56% boys) aged 7–13 y from a primary school in Hong Kong, China.

MEASUREMENTS: Global self-esteem and physical self-concept were measured using the physical self-descriptive questionnaire. Actual vs ideal body size discrepancy was established using the silhouette matching task.

RESULTS: No significant relationship was found between global self-esteem and actual–ideal body size discrepancy of children. Global physical self-concept had a moderate negative correlation (r=−0.12) with the body size discrepancy score and the discrepancy score explained very limited variance (R2=0.015; F(1, 296)=4.51; P
CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the actual–ideal body size discrepancy rating of Chinese children was not predictive of global physical self-concept and global self-esteem. These findings are contrary to those reported in Western children, which may mean that culture plays a role in the formation of body attitude.