Influences of peers’ and family members’ body shapes on perception of body image and desire for thinness in Japanese female students

PURPOSE The present study investigated the influence of peers' and family members' body shapes on the perception of body image and desire for thinness in Japanese female students. METHODS The study included 342 female, Japanese university students between the ages of 18 years and 22 years. They completed an anonymous questionnaire, which included questions related to anthropometry and body perception. Eating behavior was assessed by the Japanese version of the Eating Attitude Test-26. RESULTS Many students overestimated their body shape (81.2% of underweight students and 74.6% of normal students) and had a desire for thinness (41.0% of underweight students, 88.2% of normal students, and 100% of overweight students). One of the main reasons for the overestimation of their body shape was comparison with others. Participants who were interested in a friend's body shape were almost three times more likely to have a desire for thinness than those who were not interested in a female friend's body shape (odds ratio: 3.06, P=0.014). CONCLUSION The results indicate a possibility that a female Japanese student's young female friends' body shapes, influences her desire for thinness or her perception of her own body shape.