A Comparison between Japanese Male and Female Students of the Kyushu Area Based on an Investigation Concerning Body Shape Consciousness

• Published in: Journal of Home Economics of Japan Vol. 56; no. 6; pp. 369 - 378
• Main Authors: YAMAMOTO, Akiko, UENO, Tomoko, WASANO, Hitoyo, SHIMADA, Naoko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society of Home Economics 2005; 一般社団法人 日本家政学会
• Subjects: consciousness; female student; ideal body shape; male student; selfassessed body shape; somatotype; 体型; 女子学生; 意識; 理想体型; 男子学生; 自己認識体型
• ISSN: 0913-5227; 1882-0352
• DOI: 10.11428/jhej1987.56.369

Concerning the consciousness of body shape of Japanese students in the Kyushu area, an investigation was made on 598 males and 557 females ranging in age from 18 to 29 from the viewpoint of differences between the sexes. The results were as follows : 1) The degree of satisfaction with their own body proportions is lower in females than in males. The principal body parts with which over 50% of subjects are dissatisfied are body height, upper limb girth and bust girth in males, and all the body parts in females. 2) Males and females differ on what constitutes the ideal female body shape. Females desire leaner bodies than males desire for them. 3) According to correlation analysis, the regression lines of the ideal body weight to ideal height show a bias toward leanness in females, while the regression line for males is centrally situated in the normal range based on BMI.