Body image preference among Nigerians with type 2 diabetes

Self‐estimates of body mass and preferred body figure for individuals with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension and preferences of body figure for the opposite gender were measured in order to determine how Nigerians with either or both conditions perceive their body sizes and that of the opposite gender. Adults with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension attending a diabetes clinic, who volunteered to take part in the study, were requested to select body sizes from a standard figure rating scale (of 1–9 with 9 being the largest) to represent their current body figure perception (CBFP) and their preferred body figure (PBF) for themselves and the opposite gender. Selected anthropometric and demographic data were also collected. A total of 139 (84 females) subjects aged 55.71±12.95 years, BMI (kg/m2) of 27.0±5.8 and CBFP of 5.14±1.42 were involved. A highly significant correlation between BMI and CBFP (r = 0.69, p