Eating behavior and body image in health sciences university students

ABSTRACT Objective To analyze an association of image and eating behavior of university students from a capital city in Northeast Brazil. Methods Participated in university research (n = 1570) in the health area of both sexes, from four higher education institutions. The dimensions of body image (that is, perceptual and attitudinal) were assessed using the Brazilian Adult Silhouettes Scale; and eating behavior using the Brazilian version of the Dutch eating behavior questionnaire (DEBQ). For an assessment of nutritional status, body weight and height were collected automatically reported. An association analysis was performed using the selected linear regression, after stratification by sex. Results There is no higher prevalence of women (72.9%), with a mean age of 21.8 (SD = 4.1) years. An association was found between perception and (in) body satisfaction with eating behavior in both sexes. Women who overestimated body size had an inverse association with the restrictive dietary dimension (p = 0.001); and as dissatisfied by law, direct association between restrictive eating; and inverse with emotional behavior (p < 0.001). Men who overestimate their body size, showed an association with emotional nutrition; among those dissatisfied with excess weight, there was an association with emotional (p = 0.032) and global (p = 0.046) dimensions of eating behavior. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that a negative body image, considering two dimensions evaluated (that is, perceptual and attitudinal), was associated with eating behavior among university students of both sexes.