Body Dissatisfaction and Patterns of Media Use Among Preadolescent Children

This study examined school‐age children's satisfaction/dissatisfaction with their body sizes and their media consumption and image perception patterns. A sample of preadolescent children at the ages between 8 and 11 ( N = 50) was recruited for in‐depth individual interviews from a university‐sponsored child care facility in a mid‐Atlantic state. Results suggested that boys and girls were significantly different in their ideal body preferences. Similar to the results from previous studies on young adults and older teens, preadolescent boys desired to have a heavier body size, whereas girls desired to be thinner than their perceived actual body size. For the pattern of media use, boys showed a greater attraction toward and recall of muscular appearances and athletic ability in all media venues, whereas girls' responses indicated a greater proclivity toward beauty and looks. Results suggest a need to address the development and maintenance of healthy body images among children.