Table 2.
Weight satisfaction and body image concern by BMI category among university students in Egypt, Palestine, and Finland.
| Egypt | Palestine | Finland | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI Category * | |||||||||
| Below Normal | Normal | Overweight | Below Normal | Normal | Overweight | Below Normal | Normal | Overweight | |
| n (%) | 104 (4.1) | 1711 (67.1) | 737 (28.9) | 68 (6.2) | 756 (69.2) | 268 (24.5) | 39 (3.6) | 845 (78.3) | 195 (18.1) |
| Weight satisfaction ** | |||||||||
| Not satisfied | 42 (2.6) | 1196 (73.2) | 397 (24.3) | 34 (8.3) | 203 (49.8) | 171 (41.9) | 27 (3.8) | 619 (86.1) | 73 (10,2) |
| Satisfied | 62 (6.7) | 520 (56.3) | 342 (37.0) | 34 (5.0) | 553 (73.2) | 97 (14.2) | 12 (3.3) | 226 (62.8) | 122 (33.9) |
| Body image concern *** | |||||||||
| Mean (SD) | 2.61 (0.34) | 2.62 (0.36) | 2.99 (0.41) | 2.51 (0.32) | 2.61 (0.40) | 2.97 (0.46) | 2.51 (0.45) | 2.68 (0.40) | 2.92 (0.46) |
* BMI categories were: below normal (≤18 kg/m2), normal (18–25 kg/m2), overweight (>25 kg/m2); measured BMI in Egypt, reported BMI in Palestine and Finland. Missing BMI values: Egypt n = 53, Palestine n = 127; Finland n = 13; ** Weight satisfaction derived from 4 categories; bolded cells indicate values that are above the sample’s average for the given country to visualize, for each BMI category in the three different countries, whether weight satisfaction or weight dissatisfaction were overrepresented; *** log-transformed score; Mean and standard deviation are presented (SD: standard deviation).