Ideal body image and health status in low-income Pacific Islanders

Purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the relationship between ideal body image and family support in Pacific Islander. The subjects were 120 residences (65 with diabetes and 55 without diabetes) of a housing project in Hawaii. Data were collected by interview using the following questionnaires: The Family Behavior Checklist, the Modified Body Image Questionnaire, the Diabetes Knowledge Scale, and demography. Variables of primary interest included the subjects' ideal body image, serum level of glycosylated hemoglobin, hypertension, family support behaviors, ethnicity, and knowledge of diabetes. Findings indicated that the majority of subjects perceived receiving family support in the diet regimen, but not in the areas of glucose self-monitoring, exercise, or medication. The subjects' knowledge level regarding diabetes scored low. Subjects perceived that families lacked knowledge of diabetes. Metabolic control significantly correlated with present age, sources of health insurance, presence of diabetes, and the feeling of ideal body image according to non-Western culture. Subjects had different standards of ideal body image depending on whether they identified with a Western culture or with a non-Western culture.

Presence of hypertension and diabetes were associated multiple environmental factors (e.g. family support, knowledge of diabetes and number of children per household) as well as cultural value (e.g. ideal body image). Findings provide diabetes educators with information regarding the ideal body image among low-income Pacific Islanders. It implies the importance of assessing the individual's perceptions of ideal body image according to his or her cultural values prior to developing regimens for diabetes or hypertension.