Participants wanted for Body Image and Eating Concerns study

Current research and feedback we have received from women in midlife indicate that body image and eating issues are important concerns for women which persist beyond young adulthood.

Women of all ages are affected by body dissatisfaction. However, due to changing lifestyles, different roles and responsibilities, ageing related changes to physical appearance as well as societal perceptions of women in midlife, the ways in which women in midlife experience body dissatisfaction are likely to be different from young women's experiences.

The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of body image and eating concerns in women in midlife. The research will identify factors that contribute to some women in midlife being more, or less, vulnerable to these problems. The identification of these factors will contribute to the development of a body dissatisfaction and disordered eating intervention called Set Your Body Free: Body Image Therapy for Women 35 and Up, which aims to assist women with body image and related distress. The intervention will be specifically designed to attend to the risk and protective factors relevant for women in midlife.

Women volunteering to participate in this study will be asked to complete a survey which contains a number of questionnaire measures on body image and disordered eating. The measures ask women how they feel about their bodies as well as asking about eating and dieting patterns and psychological well-being. Participants can complete the survey anonymously and on-line if they prefer.

For information about how to participate in the research, please go to Research Details

This study is part of a research project being undertaken by Professor Susan Paxton and Professor Eleanor Wertheim at the School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, and supported by an Australian Rotary Health Research Fund Grant.