BODY-IMAGE IN OBESE WOMEN BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER WEIGHT-LOSS TREATMENT

Body image, as measured by the Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas Sa tisfaction scales of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Question naire (T.F. Cash; 1994b), was assessed in 59 obese women before, durin g, and after 48 weeks of weight loss treatment. Before treatment, posi tive ratings of body image were associated with higher levels of self- esteem, lower levels of dysphoria, and fewer previous diets. After 24 weeks and a mean weight loss of 19.4 kg (SD = 6.5), participants showe d significant (p <.0001) improvements in body image, A small weight ga in from Week 24 to Week 48 was associated with a slight but significan t worsening in both measures of body image, Nevertheless, after 48 wee ks and a mean weight loss of 16.3 kg (SD = 7.1), body image was signif icantly improved from baseline (p <.0001). Changes in body image were not related to changes in weight. Future studies are needed to separat e the effects of treatment and weight loss on body image in obese pers ons.