Body image is formed in childhood and adolescence and is influenced by socio-cultural situations and interpersonal relationships during life. When the characteristics of a subject's body do not correspond with the social models of beauty promoted by the media, body dissatisfaction (BD) appears, which is the set of negative emotions, thoughts, and attitudes towards the size and shape of one's body. The objective of the present study is to know the body image perception (BIP) of Mayan adolescents and their relationship with body dissatisfaction and its nutritional status through the Body Mass Index (BMI) indicator. The population was of 292 students of the three grades of four secondary schools of the Municipality of Abalá, Yucatán, between the ages of 12 and 17, from which 50.7% were men. The Body Image Perception analysis, the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the BMI were used. It was found that 38.9% of the population had BIP in disagreement with their BMI, with a higher prevalence in underestimation in the overweight and obese population, even though 16.7% of the population had body mass index in obesity. Only 18.2% had BD being higher in women (11.7%) between the ages 13 and 14, with a higher prevalence in those with normal BMI and BIP, which shows that the influence of social pressure towards body figure does not necessarily affect people who are overweight.
The beauty standards currently imposed are affecting the perception of body image (BD) in both men and women, causing many young people to choose the bachelor's degree in nutrition as a way to improve their figure. The aim of the study was to identify the influence of body dissatisfaction in the career choice of new students to the degree in nutrition as compared to those of psychology. The study was quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional and was conducted with new students entering the bachelor's degree in nutrition and psychology of Higher Education Institutions in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. Two questionnaires were applied, one that included a record of general data and questions about career choice and the Body Image Questionnaire (BSQ) to identify BD. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to analyse the correlation between the BD and the reasons for the career choice. It was observed that the women in the nutrition have a higher prevalence of BD (43.1%) compared to those in psychology (26.9%) and 30.8% of the population with BD, do not feel good about themselves and choose the bachelor's degree to use the knowledge of this major to improve what bothers them. It is concluded that the BD has an influence on the bachelor's degree choice of nutrition students, especially in women.
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