This dataset originates from a study conducted at the University of Auckland in the early 1990s by Dr. R.A. Marshall and colleagues from the Department of Psychology. The research explored how cultural background and ethnic identity influence body image perceptions within the specific context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Format
A data frame with 246 observations on 8 variables.
- ethnicity
Factor Subject's ethnicity (Asian, Europn, Maori, Pacific)
- married
Factor Whether the subject is married (no, yes)
- bodyim
Factor Subject's rating of themself (slight.uw, right, slight.ow, mod.ow, very.ow)
- sm.ever
Factor Whether the subject has ever smoked (no, yes)
- weight
Numeric Weight in kg.
- height
Numeric Height in cm.
- age
Numeric Age in years.
- stressgp
Factor Stress level group (low, medium, high)
Details
The study specifically focused on a cohort of women who were generally "thin" (slightly underweight for their body size). This was designed to investigate whether body dissatisfaction and varying self-perceptions persisted even among individuals who already met or approached Western "thin" ideals, and how these perceptions differed across Asian, European, Māori, and Pacific ethnic groups.