Perceptions of body satisfaction and desired weight loss among Tasmanian adolescents

'Body image' is a major concern facing young people in both rural/regional and metropolitan areas of Australia,[1] with young female reporting it as a greater concern than their male counterparts. In the interests of supporting positive body image, health promotion programs should be underpinned by an understanding of ways in which social environments impact upon adolescents' food and exercise `choices? and peer influences on dieting behaviours. This short report presents key findings from the the Young People & Physical Activity Project, which involved 272 Tasmanian high school students (aged 12?16 years) and was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (Tasmania). This pilot project sought to illuminate students' perceptions of others' eating and physical activity behaviours, and aspects of their self-image (specifically body satisfaction) relative to others. It did not seek to objectively measure students' weight/body mass index or ask students to report their physical activity levels or eating behaviours. It is believed to be one of few Australian projects linking the topic of the adolescent body image with the `social norms? approach to health promotion (see, e.g.[2, 3]).