“BE”ing a certain way: Seeking body image in Canadian Health and Physical Education curriculum policies

Abstract

Body image is an individual’s emotional response to one’s appearance including size and shape; this response may not be helpful in the pursuit of overall health and well-being. This policy analysis examines the treatment of body image in Canadian Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum policies using a body image analysis framework developed by the authors and based on health sciences research. The analysis indicates that most Canadian educational jurisdictions minimally address the topic of body image while some jurisdictions view it as important. As a result, curriculum policy responses to this important issue are scattered and inconsistent.

Keywords: Body image, health, policy analysis, knowledge mobilization, curriculum coherence, health and physical education curriculum.