Abstract

A descriptive study was conducted on twenty-four females attending a weight control class to discover the effect of weight loss upon levels of self-esteem and anxiety, as an understanding of the relation of these factors to reduction and control of weight would prove helpful to community health nurses in counseling with overweight and obese persons in the community.

The entire sample was tested for self-esteem (TSCS) and A-State and A-Trait anxiety levels at the initial class of the weight control program sponsored by the Health Education Department of Loma Linda University Medical Center, and again after seven weeks of class attendance. There were no separate control and experimental groups as each person’s mean scores representing levels of self-esteem and anxiety of the posttest after the seven-week period and recorded weight loss was compared to the pretest mean scores and standard norms. It was found that levels of self-esteem and anxiety in females attending a weight control class did not significantly differ from standard norms, which led to rejection of Hypothesis No. 1, "Females with weight problems have lower than normal self-esteem levels and higher than normal anxiety levels."

Half of the sample achieved the desired weight loss of one or more pounds per week. The self-esteem levels of this group were found to have increased at the P < .05 level of significance and the anxiety levels had decreased at the P < .05 level of significance for both A-State and A-Trait anxiety whereas those who did not lose seven or more pounds showed no significant change, thus supporting Hypothesis No. 2 in this study, "Females attending a weight-control class who lose at least one pound per week will show an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety after seven weeks of class attendance."

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Ruth M. White

Second Advisor

Lois V. Johnson

Third Advisor

Thomas H. Straight

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1972

Date (Title Page)

5-1972

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Body Weight -- psychology

Type

Thesis

Page Count

58

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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