Imagem corporal em universitários: associação com estado nutricional e sexo

Abstract

A imagem corporal (IC) pode ser definida como uma ilustração que se tem na mente acerca do tamanho, da aparência e da forma do corpo, assim como das respostas emocionais a ele associados, sendo que a formação da IC está relacionada ao grau de precisão com que o tamanho do corpo é percebido e ao nível de satisfação ou rejeição corporal (SLADE, 1994). Com base neste conceito, evidencia-se que a IC é um importante componente da identidade pessoal.Pesquisas recentes têm demonstrado que a insatisfação com a IC é observada tanto em indivíduos com transtornos alimentares (LAVOISY et al., 2008;GRILO et al., 2008) quanto em pessoas saudáveis de diferentes estratos da população (ALVES et al., 2008;ARROYO et al., 2008;GONÇALVES et al., 2008;WRENCH;KNAPP, 2008). A prevalência deste fenômeno varia de 17,4% a 82,0% na população brasileira (BOSI et al., 2008;PINHEIRO;GIUGLIANI, 2006) e evidências de pesquisas internacionais indicam que esta prevalência tem aumentado com o passar dos anos (PIMENTA et al., 2009).Os meios de comunicação de massa têm um papel fundamental no estabelecimento de um Motriz, Rio Claro, v.16 n.1 p.78-85, jan./mar. 2010 Body image among university students: association with nutritional status and genderAbstract: The present study investigated the body image (BI) of university students and its association with nutritional status and gender. A total of 874 students (504 men), with a mean age of 20.66 (5.48) years, participated in the study. Self-reported body weight and height were used for the calculation of BMI. Body image was evaluated using the body silhouette scale. Associations were analyzed using the chi-square test, with p<0.05. The prevalence of BI dissatisfaction was 77.6%, with men presenting greater dissatisfaction due to leanness, whereas women reported greater dissatisfaction because of excess weight (X 2 =89.68; p<0.001). An association was observed between BI and nutritional status in both men (X 2 =146.20; p<0.001) and women (X 2 =91.88; p<0.001). The prevalence of BI dissatisfaction was high among the university students studied and was associated with gender and nutritional status.

Prevalence of body image dissatisfaction and associated factors among physical education students

“…27 Regarding the association between perceived body image and BMI, our study identified that overweight/ obesity was associated with the desire to reduce the silhouette. This finding corroborates previous studies 6,10,28 and shows that the ideal body image among university students reflects the same slim and muscled patterns (for females and males, respectively) currently praised in sociocultural contexts, where fat or a higher body weight are seen as a stigma of ugliness, causing individuals with a higher BMI to feel uncomfortable and concerned with their body image. This finding is especially important if we take into consideration that BMI has been shown to strongly influence the adoption of abnormal behaviors, anorexia, bulimia, and vigorexia: even after adjustment for socioeconomic and demographic variables, the risk of developing such behaviors was two-fold higher in subjects with a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m².…”

“…5 Another study assessing students enrolled in several courses at UFSC found a prevalence of 77.6% of body image dissatisfaction. 6 These results suggest that, regardless of the field of study, university students present high prevalence rates of body image dissatisfaction, providing grounds for concern with regard to the consistent association between this phenomenon and the development of eating disorders, depression, low selfesteem, and a negative quality of life perception. 27 Regarding the association between perceived body image and BMI, our study identified that overweight/ obesity was associated with the desire to reduce the silhouette.…”

“…5,11,12 Also, several studies have investigated sociodemographic characteristics, such as sex, age, parental education, marital status, university course, work, living arrangement, study shift, and income. 5,6,13,14 Some of those studies failed to find an association between body image and study shift, income, and occupation among university students. 5,15 Other studies, in turn, found associations between income and body image, i.e., women with a higher income were shown to present higher levels of body image dissatisfaction.…”

“…3 Both the Brazilian and the international literature have reported prevalence rates of body image dissatisfaction above 50% among university students. [4][5][6][7] In courses where physical appearance is important, e.g., physical education, high levels of dissatisfaction are even more common, reflecting the interest of these students in body-related issues. 8 This finding has provided grounds for concern, as high levels of body image dissatisfaction may lead to the development of eating disorders, low self-esteem, and excessive physical activity, especially among women striving to achieve the slim body ideal imposed by society.…”

“…14 Sex has also been associated with body image dissatisfaction, with women showing a desire to become slimmer and men a desire to increase their body outline. 6 In this sense, and based on the lack of consensus in the relevant literature, the assessment of factors associated with body image dissatisfaction in this specific population becomes extremely relevant, so that we can achieve a better understanding of the variables associated with this phenomenon among university students, as well as the direction of existing associations. …”