By Erin Thomas, MPH, CHES
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| Erin Thomas, Researcher |
Body image is a hot topic in the media. For example, we
often hear about body image in stories about teen social media use and the “war
on obesity.” What we don’t often hear
about are body image concerns among people with disabilities, or their
inclusion in body image movements.
People with disabilities often have differences in
appearance and body function that might affect body image. Even so, they tend
to be left out of relevant research. Given that 1 in 5 people in the world have
some type of disability, this seems like a major gap.
This summer, I lead a research study that I hope will begin
to fill that gap. The goal of my study was to understand the perspectives of
women with physical disabilities about body image and health. To meet this goal, I did face-to-face
interviews with 15 women via Skype or FaceTime. Doing so made it easier for
women from all over the country to participate in the study. I asked broad
questions, such as, “What does ‘body image’ mean to you?” and “What about your
body do you like the most?”
Study participants were between 21 and 53 years old. They
came from diverse racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. They had many
different types of physical disabilities including cerebral palsy, spina
bifida, various genetic conditions, spinal cord injury, and amputations with
and without the use of prosthetics. Despite these differences, many women shared
similar ideas and experiences, described below.
