Ideal weight varies, but obese unhappy

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Different cultures have different standards for the body, but overweight children of all ethnicities are unsatisfied with how they look, a U.S. study says.

Some cultures celebrate a fuller body shape more than others, but researchers at the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia found that an overweight or obese child can still be unhappy with his or her body, despite acceptance from within his or her ethnic group.

Asian children had the highest levels of dissatisfaction with being overweight among all ethnic groups tested, study leader Gary Foster said.

"Culturally speaking, the ideal body shape is a lean one among Asian children," Foster said in a statement. "In African-American and Latino cultures, being lean is not always the ideal."

The researchers looked at data collected from 1,200 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in 10 Philadelphia schools to determine the level of children's satisfaction with their body image.

The findings were presented in New Orleans at The North American Association for the Study of Obesity’s annual scientific meeting.