Influence of socioeconomic, behavioral and nutritional factors on dissatisfaction with body image among female university students in Florianopolis, SC

摘要

> face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dissatisfaction with body image and associated socio-economic, behavioral and dietary factors in female university students from a public university in Florianopolis, SC. Body image was assessed by the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34) in a sample of 220 students. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and percentage of body fat (%BF). Socio-economic characteristics (age, monthly household income and parental schooling) as well as energy intake and being on restrictive diets were also investigated. Factors associated with body image dissatisfaction were analyzed by multivariate Poisson regression analysis. The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 47.3% (95% CI 40.7; 53.9). Nutritional status based on BMI and dieting to lose weight were the variables associated with body dissatisfaction. The results indicate a high prevalence of rejection of physical image among university students, which points toward the need for nutritional actions at universities in order to understand and prevent abnormal eating attitudes among students.