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The Body Acceptance by Others Scale-2 (BAOS-2) was developed to assess overall perceived body acceptance by others. In two studies, we evaluated its structure, reliability and validity among young adults in China. In Study 1, 435 women and 322 men completed newly translated simplified Chinese versions of the BAOS-2 and Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS), conceptually related body image questionnaires and demographic items. Exploratory factor analyses supported a 13-item unidimensional BAOS-2 structure across men and women. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity were also supported. Study 2 (307 men, 396 women) replicated the original gender-invariant BAOS-2 structure in confirmatory factor analysis and bolstered evidence for convergent, discriminant and incremental validity. Predictive validity, examined via longitudinal analyses, indicated baseline BAOS-2 scores and/or concomitant changes in BAOS-2 scores over time were related to improvements on other positive and negative body image measures at a six-month follow-up. Supplementary analyses replicated the original unidimensional FAS factor structure and provided considerable support for its psychometrics across samples. In sum, this research supported psychometric properties of the BAOS-2 among young adults in China and underscored its potential utility in predicting changes in other body image experiences over time.

In this research, we present three studies on the development and validation of the Online Appearance-Relevant Peer Conversations Scale (OARPCS), a 12-item measure of (1) physical appearance and (2) life stressors as foci of online peer communications. In Study 1, young Chinese adults (N = 800) completed OARPCS items and measures of body image, Internet use, and general distress. Exploratory factor analyses supported the hypothesized two factor structure and within gender correlation analyses provided construct validity support. Study 2 replicated the EFA-derived OARPCS factor structure and validity further within confirmatory factor analyses of young adults from Chongqing (N = 750) and Macau (N = 994). Study 3 assessed the predictive validity of OARPCS dimensions in relation to prospective changes in cosmetic surgery consideration, eating disturbances and perceived stress over one year (N = 796). Independent of baseline responses on outcomes, baseline physical appearance and life stressor subscale scores, respectively, explained modest, significant variance in women’s body image concerns and men’s reported stress. Together, results underscored appearance-relevant content in online peer interactions as influences on body image and emotional status and provided psychometric support for a brief self-report measure of these factors.

Research has shown that healthcare providers lack confidence in having the knowledge needed to have conversations about body image with their patients. No research to date has explicitly explored how providers in primary healthcare understand body image, including its definition and how it impacts plans for care. Accordingly, the current study explored how primary healthcare providers define body image and how they see the concept of body image manifest in their practice. A total of 21 participants were interviewed, including 3 registered dietitians, 6 occupational therapists, 4 physiotherapists, 1 registered massage therapist, 1 kinesiologist, 4 family physicians, 1 nurse, and 1 social worker. Using thematic analysis, it was found that gaps in knowledge about body image were quite apparent as participants' understanding of body image was slippery (e.g., they struggled to articulate specifics about the concept within care and recognized body image is not something associated with a clinical guideline that would bring form to the concept). However, healthcare providers believed in the importance of body image in their patients' care in broad and far reaching ways. Future directions for bridging the knowledge gap with respect to body image among primary healthcare providers are discussed. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Appearance-related media from the United States and other Western nations has been implicated in explanations of increased body images concerns among non-Western women. However, researchers have rarely examined the impact of endogenous appearance media versus Western appearance media on body image issues, particularly within longitudinal research designs. Therefore, in this 12-month prospective study, we assessed associations of experiences with appearance media imported from Western nations versus appearance media from China and other Asian nations on body image concerns and cosmetic surgery interest among young Chinese women. Participating women (N = 1836) completed self-report measures tapping specific sources of appearance dissatisfaction (fatness, facial features, stature), cosmetic surgery interest, and appearance media influences at baseline and a 12-month follow-up. The women reported significantly more pressure from and stronger preferences for appearance depictions in Asian than Western media. Elevations in appearance pressure and preferences from Asian media explained more unique variance in specific body image concerns at follow-up than did complementary Western media influences. Contrary to "Westernization" hypotheses, Asian appearance media influences are more salient for young Chinese women and should be prioritized as targets of interventions to reduce body image disturbances in this group.

This research evaluated information-processing biases related to height dissatisfaction among young Chinese men. In Study 1, 32 highly stature dissatisfied (HSD) men and 36 less stature dissatisfied (LSD) men performed a dot probe task featuring height-related words and neutral words. HSD men were significantly slower than LSD men were in responding to probes that followed short stature words, but the groups did not differ in response speeds to probes that followed tall stature or neutral words. In Study 2, 33 HSD men and 34 LSD men completed an implicit learning task followed by a word recognition task. HSD men recognized significantly more short stature words from the initial task, but recognition accuracy for other word types did not differ between groups. Together, these findings suggest that HSD men are more inclined than LSD men to selectively avoid cues that reflect shortness in stature and to selectively recognize such cues later.

We evaluated the structure and validity of the Upward Appearance Comparison Scale (UPACS) and Downward Appearance Comparison Scale (DACS) (O'Brien et al., 2009) in Chinese samples. In Study 1, principal component analysis on an initial sample (427 women, 123 men) and confirmatory factor analysis on another sample (447 women, 121 men) found that a 15-item, two component model had the best overall fit. Derived components had moderate correlations with most conceptually related measures and low correlations with less conceptually related indices. Study 2 participants (310 women, 201 men) completed the UPACS and DACS as well as measures of disordered eating, fatness concern, and negative affect; they were re-assessed one year later. Baseline UPACS scores predicted changes in disordered eating for women and fatness concerns for men, independent of initial disturbances, but DACS responses were not related to outcomes. Findings highlighted the potential utility of derived UPACS and DACS within a Chinese context.

There is considerable evidence that mass media portrayals of body image contribute to body dissatisfaction, yet the assessment of perceived media influences has been examined fleetingly in highly populated, non-Western cultures, particularly among young males. This research examined the factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) among adolescent boys in China. In an initial exploratory factor analysis (N = 719), a four factor solution emerged with components reflecting General Pressure-Internalization, Sources of Appearance Information, Pressure-Internalization of an Athletic Ideal, and Pressure to be Thin. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analyses in a new sample (n = 749) assessed fits of the derived four factor model, a three factor variant, and alternatives reflecting “Western” and “Malay” SATAQ-3 solutions. The derived four factor solution had the most acceptable structure across several fit indices. Patterns of correlation with other self-report measures also provided preliminary support for the validity of the derived solution.

In this study, we evaluated associations of experiences with mass media imported from Western nations such as the United States versus mass media from China and other Asian countries with eating and body image disturbances of young Chinese women. Participating women (N=456) completed self-report measures of disordered eating, specific sources of appearance dissatisfaction (fatness, facial features, stature), and Western versus Chinese/Asian mass media influences. The sample was significantly more likely to report perceived pressure from, comparisons with, and preferences for physical appearance depictions in Chinese/Asian mass media than Western media. Chinese/Asian media influences also combined for more unique variance in prediction models for all disturbances except stature concerns. While experiences with Western media were related to disturbances as well, the overall impact of Chinese/Asian media influences was more prominent.

This experimental investigation examined judgment and memory biases associated with body image concerns in American and Chinese young adult samples. In Study 1, 50 American university students (43 female, 7 males) screened into groups high and low in self-reported concerns about body size and weight engaged in a computer-based experiment involving the evaluation and later recognition of randomly presented fat and thin body words and matched control words. Participants high in reported body image concerns judged certain kinds of fat words more negatively and remembered them more accurately than individuals low in perceived body image disturbances. In general, significant group differences remained, after controlling for BMI. In contrast, groups did not differ in judgment or memory of thin words or control words. This pattern of differences was partially replicated in similar groups from the People's Republic of China (52 female, 7 male). Cross-cultural comparisons of responses to the subset of fat and thin words used in both experiments indicated the American sample evaluated fat words more negatively and was faster in responding to fat words than the Chinese sample, although there were no cultural differences in responses to thin words. Findings support the hypothesis that information-processing biases related to body image problems are specific to these concerns within samples from both Western and non-Western cultures, albeit cultural differences in responses to fat stimuli were also identified.

Although attentional biases toward body-related information contribute to the etiology and maintenance of body dissatisfaction (BD) and eating disorders (EDs), attentional disengagement in women with BD and EDs is not clear. The present study investigated the association between weight dissatisfaction and attentional disengagement from body-related pictures and the possible moderating effect of body mass index (BMI) on this relation. Two hundred and four undergraduate women engaged in an experiment using a pictorial spatial cueing paradigm including fat/thin bodies and neutral household photos. Partial correlations and simple slopes regression analyses were conducted with attentional disengagement index scores of each category of cues. Findings suggested that independent of BMI, weight dissatisfaction was directly associated with attentional disengagement from both fat and thin pictures. In addition, among women with low and medium BMIs, the more they were dissatisfied with their bodyweight, the more difficulty they had disengaging their attention from fat body pictures.

This research presents four studies on the initial development and validation of the 48-item Negative Physical Self Scale (NPS), a multidimensional measure of body image concerns for use with Chinese samples. In Study 1 (N = 1095), exploratory factor analyses identified five dimensions underlying the NPS (General Appearance, Facial Appearance, Shortness, Fatness, Thinness). In Study 2 (N = 1057), confirmatory factor analyses replicated this factor structure. In Studies 3 and 4, the validity of all NPS dimensions except Thinness Concern was supported via their patterns of relation with both objective physical characteristics/behaviors and other self-report measures of body image and general self worth. Because Chinese adolescents and young adults expressed relatively more concerns about General Appearance, Shortness, and Facial Appearance than about Fatness, the NPS may have greater utility for assessing body image disturbances in China than existing measures that focus exclusively on general body satisfaction and body size/weight.