All women want to look beautiful, slender and attractive, have perfect hair and the best clothes a woman can long for. However, according to the findings of a new study by U.S researchers, and extremely good body image can take its toll on a woman's health just the same way as a poor self-image.

The scientists at the Temple University School of Medicine have carried out their research and came to the conclusion that an extremely good body image can be damaging for a woman's health just like a poor self-image and can result in a host of both mental and physical health problems. For the study purposes, the investigators measured the body image perceptions of 81 underweight women as well as women with normal weight, extra weight and obesity, in the North Philadelphia area. All participants were as well measured for height and weight and were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaires in order to determine their self-perceived, current and ideal body sizes.

Each woman was then presented with an illustration of other women of different sizes, that correlated with increasing body mass index (BMI), and were asked which size they felt they are at current time and what their ideal size would be. The experts then analyzed all the responses and found that as the body mass index of the women increased, two-thirds of the participants still felt that they were at perfect body size. So the question for the physicians then becomes, 'How can we effectively treat our overweight and obese patients, when they do not feel that they are in harm's way?' said study lead author Dr. Marisa Rose, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences in the Temple University School of Medicine, in a statement. "It stresses a need for culturally sensitive education for this population," she added.

While most of the women in the study have chosen illustrations of women in the range between normal and overweight, nearly 20 per cent of the obese women have chosen an overweight or obese body silhouette as their ideal shape of the body. What is more, 68 per cent of overweight participants and 84 per cent of obese women underestimated their current BMI. African-American and Hispanic women had underestimated their current body size to a significant extent, while the white women overestimated their current body size.

Dr. Rose suggested that it is very critical to provide all patients with information about the dangers of obesity, even when they feel that they are not at risk. It is very important to help empower them to change their lifestyles and lead healthier lives, she concluded.

The study has been published in the May issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Tags: Women's Health, Exercise and Fitness, Women's Studies, Beauty, Psychology & Psychiatry

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