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Body Appraisal, Weight Management Goals, and Well-Being Among Midlife Men and Women

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Abstract

In this paper, we assess the extent to which subjective and objective body appraisals relate to weight management goals and ultimately to life satisfaction in midlife men and women. The sample consisted of 141 midlife men and women (aged 55–59) from the Foley Longitudinal Study of Adulthood. We used both logistic and hierarchical linear regressions to examine relationships among and between variables. Both men and women expressed similar levels of body appraisal, and similar weight management goals; lower body appraisal and the presence of a weight management goal were both related to lower well-being. This study suggests that subjective and objective body appraisals may motivate the setting of weight management goals, and are significant contributors to well-being in midlife. Results are discussed in the context of aging, as well as gender.

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Acknowledgments

The research reported in this manuscript was supported by a grant from the Foley Family Foundation to establish the Foley Center for the Study of Lives at Northwestern University.

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  1. Nicky J. Newton

    Present address: Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, 2120 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Nicky J. Newton

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, 618 Library Place, Evanston, IL, 60201, USA

    Sarah A. Russell

  3. The Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Foley Center for the Study of Lives, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Dan P. McAdams

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Correspondence to Nicky J. Newton.

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Newton, N.J., Russell, S.A. & McAdams, D.P. Body Appraisal, Weight Management Goals, and Well-Being Among Midlife Men and Women. J Adult Dev 24, 31–39 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-016-9244-7

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