MARQUES, Maria Inês et al. (Dis)Satisfaction with body image during adolescence. []. , 25, 4, pp.217-221. ISSN 0872-0754.

Introduction: Perception and satisfaction with body image (SBI) are important in adolescent self-acceptance. Objectives: Assess SBI in a group of teens. Methods: Cross-sectional analytical study, with a convenience sample of adolescents between 12 and 19 years old, from three schools. A self-report questionnaire to obtain demographic data and SBI, applying Stunkard Silhouettes scale, was made. Teens selected the number corresponding to the image that they considered their current (CA) and ideal appearance (IA). The assessment of SBI was obtained by subtracting the amount of the CA to the IA and the degree assessed depending on the result (= 0 satisfied ;> 0 dissatisfied by overweight; <0 dissatisfied by underweight). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated by measuring weight and height, and adolescents were sorted according to the curves of the World Health Organization. SPSS 20.0 was used to statistical data analysis. Results: Three hundred and twenty three youths were interviewed, 54.8% were female and the average age was 15.8± 1.7 years old. SBI was present in 34.4%, 55.0% of those were women (p = 0.967). Dissatisfied boys would like to have more weight and girls the reverse (p <0.001). Most adolescents had an adequate BMI (75.4%), whom 61.5% were dissatisfaction with body image, most notably for females (56.0%) (p = 0.700). DisSBI was most prevalent in adolescents with low weight (100%), obesity (78.6%) and overweight (77.4%) (p = 0.038). Conclusions: Results suggest dissatisfaction with body image even in normal weight adolescents, which shows that SBI should be implicated in intervention strategies to prevent future disorders.

: adolescence; body image; satisfaction.

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