Prevalence and correlates of body appreciation in U.S. children aged 9-13 years: A cross-sectional analysis.

Body appreciation is a central component of positive body image, yet little is known about its prevalence in pre- and early adolescence. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of body appreciation among U.S. children aged 9-13 years. This preregistered secondary cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from a large intervention trial (N = 1359). Children completed self-report measures of body appreciation, internalisation of appearance ideals, and social media literacy. Prevalence of body appreciation was estimated using a midpoint-based classification approach. Gender and age (9-11 vs. 12-13 years) group differences were examined using independent-samples t-tests. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression were conducted to examine correlates of body appreciation. Most children reported high body appreciation; however, 18.5% were classified as having low or moderate body appreciation. Older children reported lower body appreciation than younger children. Boys reported lower body appreciation than girls, although the effect size was negligible. Higher body appreciation was independently associated with lower internalisation of appearance ideals, higher social media literacy, younger age, and identifying as a girl, with the overall model explaining 26.5% of the variance. Gender-stratified analyses indicated stronger associations among girls, with age emerging as a significant predictor only for girls, and different domains of social media literacy associated with body appreciation across groups. The findings of this study show that body appreciation is meaningfully differentiated in pre- and early adolescence, highlighting the importance of early, developmentally appropriate interventions that promote positive body image.