What Do Children Think of Their Perceived and Ideal Bodies? Understandings of Body Image at Early Ages: A Mixed Study.

Research into children's body perceptions and ideals is scarce despite evidence of body dissatisfaction in childhood. This study aimed to understand preschoolers' body image by employing a mixed design. Using a novel figural scale (Preschoolers' Body Scale) that comprises four child figures ranging in BMI, 395 children ages 4-6 (54% boys) selected their perceived and ideal body and explained why they picked these bodies.