Unraveling the meaning of weight misperception in a sample of college students: Unaware or body satisfied?

Weight misperception has been seen as a threat to public health. We aimed to understand the meaning of weight misperception by examining associations of weight perception with body satisfaction and body awareness along with healthy ideals and culturally normative body ideals. Undergraduates with higher weights at a Mid-South University (n = 166) completed survey measures that included: weight status perception ("How do you think of yourself in terms of weight?"), self-reported weight and height (used to indicate awareness), current and ideal body size using Figure Rating Scales (FRS), three measures of body satisfaction (difference between current and ideal figures on FRS, Appearance Evaluation subscale of the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire, Body Dissatisfaction subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory-3). Height and weight were also measured. Thirty percent (n = 49) of participants perceived themselves as 'healthy' weight and 70 % (n = 117) perceived themselves as above healthy weight. In bivariate analyses, there were no significant differences in identification of healthy or culturally normative body ideals by weight perception group. A series of logistic regression models were run to examine associations between weight perception and both BMI awareness and body satisfaction. In unadjusted and adjusted models, increased body satisfaction was associated with reduced odds of perceiving oneself above healthy weight (OR: 0.25, p < 0.001); BMI awareness was not associated with weight misperception. Findings suggest that weight misperception reflects body satisfaction, and not a lack of awareness of body weight/size, definitions of healthy bodies, or culturally normative body ideals. "Correcting" individuals who perceive their bodies as about right has the potential to cause great harm and should be eliminated as a public health goal.