Relation between Body-Esteem and Self-Esteem of Obese and Normal Children

Abstract

36 elementary school children (20 subjects were below and 16 subjects above 15% overweight) completed a self-esteem and body-esteem questionnaire. The Body-esteem Scale was reliable and suitable for children as young as 7 yr. Body-esteem shared a significant amount of variance with self-esteem and percentage overweight. Although body-esteem and relative weight were correlated, self-esteem and relative weight were not significantly related. Furthermore, body-esteem and self-esteem were not differentially related for 20 normals versus 16 obese children in this sample.