Abstract

LEITE, Ana Caroline Branco; FERRAZZI, Natália Basso; MEZADRI, Tatiana  and  HOFELMANN, Doroteia Aparecida. Body dissatisfaction among students in brazilian southern city. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2014, vol.24, n.1, pp. 54-61. ISSN 0104-1282.

The body dissatisfaction is associated with eating disorders, interpersonal difficulties and suicidal ideation. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of body dissatisfaction, and its association with infant and maternal variables of school children from 4 and 5 years of municipal schools in Itajai, Santa Catarina. Seven hundred and thirty seven students from 22 urban and rural schools were randomly selected . Data collection included the collection of anthropometric data measures, questionnaires for the child and his guardian. The body dissatisfaction has been identified by the difference between perceived body image and that desired by the school children. Prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI)were calculated and. The response rate was 81.7% (n = 602). The prevalence of body dissatisfaction was 76.9%. Overweight Schoolchildren , and those with abdominal excess of fat showed higher prevalence rates (21% and 30%) of body dissatisfaction. Children of overweight parents had prevalence 12% higher of the outcome. Attempts to lose weight or fat were 23% and 21% higher among weight dissatisfied children . After adjustment, the prevalence of the outcome was lower among girls (PR 0.9 95% 0.8, 1.0) and higher among children with abdominal excess of fat who underwent attempts to lose or gain weight (PR 95 1.2% 1.1, 1.4). The results indicate a high prevalence of body dissatisfaction, especially among boys. Approximately half of the students wanted to weigh less, however, among boys the desire to gain weight was higher. The abdominal fat was strongly associated with the higher prevalence of body dissatisfaction.

Keywords : body image; nutritional status; perception of body weight; abdominal obesity; obesity; school health.

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