%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-326X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 5
%N 11
%P e25329
%T Body Image Distress and Its Associations From an International Sample of Men and Women Across the Adult Life Span: Web-Based Survey Study
%A Milton,Alyssa
%A Hambleton,Ashlea
%A Roberts,Anna
%A Davenport,Tracey
%A Flego,Anna
%A Burns,Jane
%A Hickie,Ian
%+ Sydney School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Professor Marie Bashir Centre, 67-73 Missenden Rd, Camperdown, 2050, Australia, 61 02 93510774, alyssa.milton@sydney.edu.au
%K body image
%K mental health
%K well-being
%K web-based survey
%K sex differences
%K age
%D 2021
%7 4.11.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Form Res
%G English
%X Background: Previous research on body image distress mainly relied on samples that were small, generally homogeneous in age or sex, often limited to one geographical region, and were characterized by a lack of comprehensive analysis of multiple psychosocial domains. The research presented in this paper extends the international literature using the results of the web-based Global Health and Wellbeing Survey 2015. The survey included a large sample of both men and women aged ≥16 years from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Objective: The main objectives of this study are to examine body image distress across the adult life span (≥16 years) and sex and assess the association between body image distress and various psychosocial risk and protective factors. Methods: Data were extracted from the Global Health and Wellbeing Survey 2015, a web-based international self-report survey with 10,765 respondents, and compared with previous web-based surveys conducted in 2009 and 2012. Results: The body image distress of young Australians (aged 16-25 years) significantly rose by 33% from 2009 to 2015. In 2015, 75.19% (961/1278) of 16- to 25-year-old adults reported body image distress worldwide, and a decline in body image distress was noted with increasing age. More women reported higher levels of body image distress than men (1953/3338, 58.51% vs 853/2175, 39.22%). Sex, age, current dieting status, perception of weight, psychological distress, alcohol and other substance misuse, and well-being significantly explained 24% of the variance in body image distress in a linear regression (F15,4966=105.8; P<.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the significant interplay between body image distress and psychosocial factors across age and sex. 
%M 34734831
%R 10.2196/25329
%U https://formative.jmir.org/2021/11/e25329
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/25329
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34734831