Body image among adolescents: the association between nutritional status and physical activity

Abstract The aim of this article is to verify the association between nutritional status and physical activity with the perception of body image satisfaction in a sample of adolescents from Curitiba, State of Paraná. The sample consisted of 844 adolescents of 11 to 17 years of age. The level of physical activity was evaluated by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents. Body image perception was assessed by the Silhouette Shape Scale and the Body Shape Questionnaire. The association between nutritional status and level of physical activity with satisfaction with body image was performed through multinomial logistic regression to obtain the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and p < 0.05. Overweight/obesity was positively associated with moderate and severe body image dissatisfaction (BID) among girls (OR: 6.20; 95%CI: 2.62 - 14.66 and OR: 6.20; 95%CI: 4.10 - 9.36) and boys (OR: 1.95; 95%CI: 1.06 - 3.59 e OR: 3.91; 95%CI: 2.57 - 5.95) and with the desire to decrease the silhouette for boys and girls (OR: 4.86; 95%CI: 3.37 - 7.00 and OR: 6.46; 95%CI: 4.12 - 10.14). The level of physical activity was not associated with BID. Adolescents who are overweight and obese are more likely to admit to BID. Physical activity was not related to BID.