Perceptions of obese women on sexuality

• Autor(a) principal: Hellen Pollyanna Mantelo, Cecilio
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Sanches, Rafaely de Cássia Nogueira, Radovanovic, Cremilde Aparecida Trindade, Marcon, Sonia Silva
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Reme (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufmg.br/index.php/reme/article/view/50127
• topic: Sexuality; Women's Health; Obesity; Nursing; Sexualidad; Salud de la Mujer; Obesidad; Enfermería; Sexualidade; Saúde da Mulher; Obesidade; Enfermagem

Obesity contributes to the development of both male and female sexual dysfunctions. Sexual function, regardless of the body mass, is an important aspect of the quality of life for women and men. The study aimed at grasping how the overweight woman perceives her body and how she relates to her sexuality. This was a descriptive and qualitative study, developed with seven overweight and/or obese women who are participants in an intervention group. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and subsequently subjected to content analysis. The following categories emerged: "Obesity and sexuality: a conflictive relationship" and "Positive influences from the intervention group." For these women, the relationship between obesity and sexuality was considered negative, encouraging the desire to change the body to match the desires imposed by society. After the start of the group's activities, there was weight loss and, consequently, an improvement in self-esteem and sexual performance. We concluded that groups of interventions are important strategies to offer, in addition to guidance, emotional support, and help losing weight and improving the quality of life.