Body image and its relationship with nutritional status indicators
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v74.118128Keywords:
Perceived body image, desired body image, students, university students, body mass indexAbstract
Introduction: At the university stage, young people are highly exposed to the influence of mass media and social networks, as well as to ideal body stereotypes, which may affect their future nutritional status.
Objective: To evaluate body image and its relationship with nutritional status indicators.
Methodology: This was a correlational study with a cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational design. A sample of 93 students from a public university in the city of Guayaquil was used. To identify perceived and desired body image, the body silhouette method validated by Stunkard, Sorensen, & Schulsinger was applied. Nutritional status was assessed through anthropometric measurements, body composition, and somatotype. Food consumption was identified using the Healthy Eating Index Questionnaire.
Results: The averages of anthropometric parameters and body composition in both males and females progressively increased as body image perception shifted from underweight to obesity. Regarding somatotype, there was a significant increase in the endomorphic and mesomorphic components, along with a decrease in the ectomorphic component in both sexes. In terms of diet, the findings showed that participants need to improve the quality of their daily food intake.
Discussion: The findings of the present study are consistent with previous research conducted on university students.
Conclusions: Although most students perceived themselves within a normal range, discrepancies persist between perceived and actual body size, especially among men, who tend to overestimate their weight. In contrast, women showed a more accurate perception aligned with their actual BMI.
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