SOCIETAL INFLUENCE ON THE DESIRE FOR LARGER BODY SIZE IN A LOW INCOME COMMUNITY, ACCRA, GHANA
Keywords:
Perception, Larger body size, Obesity, Community, GhanaAbstract
Purpose: This study examined community’s ideal body size and underlying reasons that influence preference for the ideal body size among resource poor urban dwellers in Accra, Ghana.
Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional qualitative data from eight focus group discussions (FGDs) and fourteen individual interviews (IIs). Silhouette figure ratings were used to assess ideal body size at a community level. The data were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach in Atlas ti.7 software.
Findings: Larger body size or fatness was reported as the most cherished body size in the study communities. To attain the community’s cherished body size, females in particular subscribed to the use of non-prescribed medication to be accepted by peers, attract sexual partners and to avoid mockery and social stigma.
Conclusion & Recommendation: The findings suggest that societal veneration of larger body size influences social acceptability and unhealthy weight management practices. These actions of the community members may contribute to the risk of obesity in the Ghana and thus call for periodic community education on healthy body weight and the adverse effects of non-prescribed medications.
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