Body dissatisfaction in California adolescents

Purpose: Factors that contribute to body dissatisfaction among adolescents from ethnically diverse California were examined to determine if the factors vary with gender and race. Data sources: Data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey were used; 1807 White, Latino, and Asian American adolescents from 12 to 17 years old were included. Conclusions: Ordinal multiple logistic regression with gender and ethnicity controlled for revealed two major factors (high body mass index and poor/fair general health status) contribute to body dissatisfaction across gender and ethnicity in California adolescents. Other factors related to body dissatisfaction varied with ethnicity and gender. Implications for practice: Gender‐ and ethnicity‐specific interventions to improve body image in adolescents must be developed.