New Tool Assesses Body Image - Female College Students Rate Their Fatness, Muscularity

A promising new index can quickly gauge how women's perceptions of their bodies compares to the ideal, according to
research presented today at the 52nd American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.


What's different, say the researchers who developed it, is that the Visual Rating Tool (VRT) looks at muscularity as well as
body fat. "Existing testing instruments were inadequate in some ways," said William J. Ryan, Ph.D., Exercise Physiologist.
"We wanted to look at muscularity as well as body fat." Jennifer Sanftner, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, said "Women have
been preoccupied with body fat for a long time. Interest in women's muscularity is something new."


Using 24 illustrations for body fat and eight for muscularity, the VRT asks each participant:


1. Which figure do you think you look like?

2. Which figure do you feel like most of the time?

3. Which figure would you most like to look like?

4. Which figure do you think society wants you to look like?

5. Which figure do you think men find most attractive?

6. Which figure do you think women find most attractive?


102 female students at Slippery Rock completed the VRT, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 and the Multidimensional body
Self-Relations Questionnaire. 90 students returned two weeks later to re-take the VRT, which allowed researchers to measure
its test-retest reliability.


Researchers found a high degree of correlation between the new VRT and the established testing instruments. Dr. Sanftner
said, "With respect to body fat, the figures are highly reliable, particularly when asking 'What do you look like, and what
do you want to look like?' When it comes to muscularity, the correlations were lower."


Fluctuations in respondents' attitudes toward their muscularity didn't surprise co-researcher Patricia Pierce, Ph.D.,
Exercise Physiologist. "It depends on how one defines muscularity, she said. "Some women have a stigma against being
muscular, while others think 'I want to be more muscular.'" Further, said Dr. Sanftner, "Muscularity is a more
state-dependent issue. Today I may feel muscular after working out. Two weeks from now, I may feel different."


The VRT can be quickly administered by a clinician or personal trainer and lends itself to testing large numbers of people at
one time. Among other uses, it can call attention to risk factors for anorexia or bulimia. "The VRT is not a diagnostic tool
for eating disorders or body image disorders," said Dr. Ryan. "But, it provides information that might indicate a tendency of
someone at risk for body-image issues. If the figure they want to look like is very different from what they think they look
like, that might indicate a problem that needs professional attention."


While the VRT was validated using traditional college-age women, researchers say its applicability to other age groups has
not been proven. "The VRT is probably applicable to women in their 20s, 30s and 40s," said Dr. Ryan. "The figures we present
are general enough that women in that age range should be able to relate to them. This test may not be applicable to older
adults." High school students, he pointed out, comprise a wide range of development that presents special challenges.



In summing up the research team's goals in developing the VRT, Ryan said, "We hope to introduce an instrument that has some
validity. We'd like other people to use it, try to replicate our research and do other research."


ACSM's 52nd Annual Meeting is going on now at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. For more information on the
event, or to speak with ACSM Communications and Public Information staff, please call (615) 458-0996.


The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More
than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research,
education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance,
fitness, health, and quality of life.


NOTE: The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an
official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.


FOR MORE INFORMATION: ACSM's 52nd Annual Meeting takes place June 1-4, 2005. After June 6, please call the ACSM
Communications and Public Information office at (317) 637-9200 ext. 117 or 127.


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