Relationship between body weight and body image dissatisfaction among college students

• Main Author: Oliveira, Josué Souza Almeida
• Publication Date: 2023
• Other Authors: Girotto, Edmarlon, Guidoni, Camilo Molino
• Format: Article
• Language: por
• Source: Revista Baiana de Saúde Pública (Online)
• Download full: https://rbsp.sesab.ba.gov.br/index.php/rbsp/article/view/3611
• topic: Obesidade; Sobrepeso; Imagem corporal; Insatisfação corporal; Saúde do estudante; Obesity; Overweight; Body image; Body dissatisfaction; Student health; Obesidad; Sobrepeso; Imagen corporal; Insatisfacción corporal; Salud del estudiante

Brazil has experienced an obesity epidemic for many years, a situation which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Research has found an increase in body image disorders among young people. About one third of this group feels dissatisfied with their body appearance. Thus, we analyzed the relation between college students’ body weight and dissatisfaction with their body image. This is cross-sectional study was conducted with 3,168 students from a public university in Paraná. To evaluate body satisfaction, we used the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), which was adapted and validated for Brazil. To assess body weight, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was used. A Poisson regression with robust variance and calculation of its prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was used in our association analysis. Students with overweight (PR 1.56; 95%CI 1.46-1.67) and obesity (PR 1.68; 95%CI 1.55-1.81) showed greater dissatisfaction with their body image, regardless of our adjustment variables. Conversely, we found underweight students (PR 0.42; 95%CI 0.34 - 0.53) had lower body image dissatisfaction. Regardless of sociodemographic and mental health variables, overweight college students constitute a group with a high prevalence of body dissatisfaction.