The Association Between Childhood Adversity and Self-Rated Physical Health in US College Students.

PURPOSE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are related to unhealthy behaviors and poor self-rated health. Poor self-rated physical health (SRPH) is negatively associated with college students' grades and overall academic achievement. This study examined the effects of ACEs on SRPH among undergraduate and graduate students (n = 568; 18-30 years) from a public university in the southeast. METHODS: Students completed a cross-sectional online survey in October 2018. We conducted unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions to examine the relationship between ACEs and SRPH among US college students. RESULTS: Most participants reported 1 to 4 ACEs; one-fourth reported poor SRPH. Higher ACE exposure increased the odds for poor SRPH in a curvilinear relationship. Unadjusted results indicate ACE exposure increased risk between 82% and 228%, and that higher levels of resilience and adherence to diet and physical activity guidelines reduced risk for poor SRPH. In adjusted models, moderate ACE exposure was associated with 2.46 times greater odds (95% CI = 1.28-9.34) of reporting poor SRPH. Graduate students (odds ratio [OR] = .52, 95% CI = .27-.99) and those who met healthy diet (OR = .12, 95% CI = .02-.93) and physical activity recommendations (OR = .36, 95% CI = .23-.58) had reduced odds of poor SRPH. CONCLUSIONS: Students who have experienced ACEs are at a greater risk for poor health. Student health programs on campus should take a holistic approach by screening students for childhood adversity and promoting healthy behaviors to improve physical health.

Body image, self-esteem, and behavioral risk for chronic disease among college students: Additional evidence for integrated prevention.

Objective: To examine associations between two body image constructs (body appreciation and body satisfaction) and five health behaviors (diet, physical activity, weight management, tobacco exposure, and alcohol intake) associated with risk for chronic disease, controlling for self-esteem. Participants: Three hundred and forty-four college students enrolled at a large, public university in the southeastern US. Methods: Students completed an online survey composed of measures of body appreciation, body satisfaction, self-esteem, and frequency of engagement in preventive health behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to assess relationships between constructs. Results: Body appreciation, but not body satisfaction or self-esteem, significantly and positively predicted engagement in diet-, physical activity-, and weight-related health behaviors. No associations were found for substance use outcomes. Conclusions: Results illuminate health risks among college students and provide additional evidence to support the development of holistic preventive interventions that simultaneously address aspects of mental and physical health among college students.

"It's very valuable to me that I appear capable": A qualitative study exploring relationships between body functionality and appearance among women with visible physical disabilities.

A current hypothesis is that women who learn to focus on their body's functionality versus appearance may experience improved body image outcomes. This research is underdeveloped in considering the perspectives of women with visible physical disabilities (WPD), who have differences in body functionality and appearance that influence their body image. Our study aimed to understand how WPD conceptualize body image and body functionality and to clarify relationships between these constructs. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 women representing a range of ages (21-53 years) and disabilities. We used a constructivist grounded theory approach, applying the constant comparative method and engaging in reflexivity throughout the research process. We interpreted themes and subthemes based on their emergence across and explanatory value within cases to develop a conceptual model of the findings. Four major themes emerged: meanings and definitions, body image stability, factors that influence body image, and the interaction of appearance and body functionality. A new concept, "functional-aesthetic body image," emerged describing women's perceptions about the appearance of their body when engaged in functions or activities. Results may stimulate advancements in body image theory and measurement, and guide further exploration of the complex appearance-functionality relationship and its links with holistic health outcomes.

Downward dog becomes fit body, inc.: A content analysis of 40 years of female cover images of Yoga Journal.

The present analysis investigated temporal trends in physical appearance attributes and attire worn by female cover models of Yoga Journal magazine between the years 1975-2015. Covers featuring a single female model (N=168) were coded for: pose activity, amount of body visibility, perceived body size, body shape, breast size, skin exposure, and revealing or form-fitting attire. When collapsed across all decades, the majority of cover models was actively posed with high body visibility, rated as at most low normal weight, possessed either a "thin/lean" or "skinny/boney" body shape, and were "flat-chested" or "small-breasted". Greater body visibility, pose activity, thinness/leanness, skin exposure, and form-fitting attire were featured on more recent years' covers. Findings suggest that the female "yoga body" conforms to the contemporary thin- and-toned media fitness ideal, particularly recently, which may promote objectified body competence, an unhealthy drive for leanness, and dissuade higher weight women from considering yoga practice.

Got yoga?: A longitudinal analysis of thematic content and models' appearance-related attributes in advertisements spanning four decades of Yoga Journal.

Yoga has become an increasingly common health practice among U.S. adults over the past decade. With this growth in popularity, yoga-related print media have been criticized for shifting away from yoga's traditional philosophies and promoting a thin, lean ideal physique representing the "yoga body." The purpose of this study was to (a) analyze the presence and content of advertisements over the 40-year publication history of Yoga Journal magazine and (b) explore female advertisement models' socio-demographic and appearance-related attributes over time. Results suggested that Yoga Journal now contains significantly more advertisements for food, nutritional supplements, and apparel and fewer advertisements for meditation and nutritional practices than in its early years of publication. Models were more frequently rated as White and in their 20s and 30s in recent years of publication. Trends in model body size matched shifts in culturally dominant body ideals over time. Implications and future research directions are considered.

Is the "Yoga Bod" the new skinny?: A comparative content analysis of mainstream yoga lifestyle magazine covers.

As yoga has gained popularity in Western culture, concerns have been raised about its increased commercialization and assimilation into the predominantly appearance-focused exercise and fitness culture. In this context, the present study examined the physical appearance-related characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, body size, shape, objectifying apparel) of 142 female models and the media frames of 567 captions (e.g., commercialism, body competence, health, weight/physical appearance) featured on the covers of three Westernized yoga lifestyle magazines published between 2010-2015. Results indicated that most models were White, embodying the contemporary "thin-and-lean" media fitness aesthetic. Models were actively posed with high body visibility; an appreciable minority was partially-clad in skin-revealing or form-fitting upper-body attire. Media frames conveying commercialism and body competence were equally present. The pattern of effects tended to reflect the strength of the magazine title's endorsement of exercise and fitness cultural values. Clinical and public health implications along with future research directions are discussed.

The influence of home-delivered dietary approaches to stop hypertension meals on body mass index, energy intake, and percent of energy needs consumed among older adults with hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether participation in home-delivered meal programs similar to the Older Americans Act home-delivered meals program influence weight status among older adults with hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia. OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of a home-delivered Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) meal intervention on body mass index (BMI), energy consumed, and percent of energy needs consumed. DESIGN: A 1-year randomized control trial of home-delivered DASH meals and medical nutrition therapy conducted from 2003 through 2005. Participants who received DASH meals were compared with those who did not receive meals. Data were collected in participants' homes at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: The study sample was composed of 298 adults aged >60 years with hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia residing in a county in the southeastern part of North Carolina. INTERVENTION: Participants in the meals intervention group received seven frozen meals per week for 1 year. The meals were designed to meet one third of participants' energy and nutrient needs and to comply with the DASH diet. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in BMI, energy consumed, and percent of energy needs consumed. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Difference-in-differences models were used to estimate the effects of the meal intervention on BMI, energy consumed, and percent of daily energy needs consumed. Analyses were conducted among the full sample and by subgroup (ie, race, income, and baseline obesity status). RESULTS: In the full sample, receipt of meals did not have a significant effect on BMI, energy consumed, or percent of daily energy needs consumed. Among those living at or above the 165% poverty threshold, receipt of home-delivered meals was significantly associated with a decrease in energy consumed and, therefore, percent of daily energy needs consumed. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a home-delivered DASH meal program did not lead to weight gain or weight loss in a group of mostly overweight or obese older adults with hypertension and/or hyperlidemia.