Body image profiles combining body shame, body appreciation and body mass index differentiate dietary restraint and exercise amount in women

This project aimed to establish whether meaningful body image profiles (BIPs) could be identified across measures of body shame, body appreciation, and body mass index (BMI), and whether these profiles could differentiate key health behaviours. Data came from 1200 adult women who responded to an online body image survey. Latent profile analysis was used to identify BIPs based on relative levels of body shame, body appreciation and BMI. Differences in dietary restraint and weekly exercise amount were investigated according to BIP membership. Latent profile analysis revealed four unique BIPs; 1. Appreciative BIP (AP-BIP); 2. Medium Shame BIP (MS-BIP); 3. High Shame BIP (HS-BIP) and 4. Average BIP (AV-BIP). Dietary restraint and exercise amount differed significantly according to BIP in most comparisons. Women in the High Shame BIP exhibited the highest dietary restraint and lowest exercise. Women in the Appreciative BIP exhibited the lowest dietary restraint and highest exercise. Body shame and body appreciation intersect with BMI to form unique profiles (BIPs) that differentiate dietary restraint and exercise. Using BIPs to tailor interventions designed to promote healthful diet and exercise should be considered in public health initiatives.