Body image and health counseling for women

Body weight and physical fitness are important factors in overall risk for many medical conditions. Many other concerns, however, such as the Western cultural ideal for physical beauty, contribute to the way women think and feel about their bodies. Many American women have a distorted body image and intense levels of dissatisfaction with their bodies. These problems can lead to aberrant eating and dieting behavior, decreased self-esteem, and depressed mood. Physicians must consider these problems and their interrelationships when providing health counseling for female patients.