Survey: Summer creates swimsuit anxiety

Forty-nine percent of U.S. adults admit body insecurity keeps them from engaging in warm-weather activities such as swimming, a survey indicates.

The survey of 1,000 adults by ZoneDiet.com reveals 70 percent of Americans are self-conscious about the way their body looks during the summer.

The study also found 84 percent Americans frequently think about their weight and build. On average, men and women focus on their body eight times per day, or 56 times a week. Of those feeling ill-at-ease, 85 percent are specifically unhappy with the abdominal/stomach area, the survey says.

Thirty-two percent of Americans report they would increase their exercise regiment to get away with eating more of their favorite foods without worrying about weight gain, the survey says.

The survey was conducted by Kelton Research between May 28 and June 3 using random digit dialing of listed and unlisted numbers. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.1 percentage points.