PERCEPTION OF BODY IMAGE AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN NUTRITION UNDERGRADUATES FROM A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2017.22483Keywords:
Body Image. Nutritional Status. Perception. Students.Abstract
A cross-sectional study with 90 first-year (G1) and last-year undergraduates (G2) of a nutrition program conducted to evaluate the association between body image perception and nutritional status. To evaluate the perception and distortion of body image, the Stunkard Silhouettes Scale and the Questionnaire on body image (BSQ 34) were applied. Weight (Kg) and height (m) were measured and nutritional status was classified based on the calculation of body mass index (BMI). The average values for weight, height and BMI were similar in both groups (p > 0.05), but a different result was found for age, whose average was significantly higher among graduates (p < 0.05). It was found that 73.3% of the first-year students and 77.8% of the last-year undergraduates were eutrophic, and the latter had lower prevalence of underweight and overweight compared with the former, without a significant association (p=0.87). Dissatisfaction with thinness or overweight was 62.3% and 82.2% in G1 and G2, respectively. It was found that 20% of the first-year students showed serious body image distortion, with a significant difference when compared to last-year ones (p=0.001). Body image dissatisfaction was quite prevalent, and it was more common among last-year students who had a distorted impression of excess weight. Body image dissatisfaction in different degrees was prevalent in this study, regardless of nutritional status. Physical exercise and healthy eating habits should be encouraged among college students and strategies should be promoted for a better perception of their bodies.
DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2017.22483
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