Prevalence of body dissatisfaction among a United States adult sample

• Prevalence of body dissatisfaction among United States women ranges between 13.4% and 31.8%.
• Prevalence of body dissatisfaction among United States men ranges between 9.0% and 28.4%.
• Overweight and obese adults are at greater risk of body dissatisfaction.
• The prevalence of body dissatisfaction has plateaued or declined over time.

Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a primary determinant of eating disorders and has been linked to chronic disease via decreased likelihood of cancer screening self-exams and smoking cessation. Yet, there are few recent estimates of the prevalence of BD among United States adults. Using an internet-based, opt-in, cross-sectional survey, United States adults (N = 1893) completed assessments of demographic variables, body areas satisfaction, appearance evaluation, fitness evaluation, health evaluation, and overweight preoccupation. Results revealed that the range of BD is 13.4%–31.8% among women and 9.0%–28.4% among men. Compared to previous assessments of prevalence (1973, 1986, 1995, 1997), the prevalence of BD among United States adults may have plateaued or declined over time.