Abstract:

Body image can be considered as the proper illustration that the individual makes of his body, being constituted in our thoughts and mind. According to Paul Shilder, this is not only a cognitive construct but also an expression of desires, emotions, and relationships with others, thus the body structure is in constant self-construction, differentiation, and inclusion. The goal was to evaluate the association between body image perception and the nutritional status of teenagers from a public school in Fortaleza-CE. The sample consisted of 62 students (14-19 years old) of high school. The perception of body image was self-assessed by the individual through silhouetted figures (questionnaire) and compared with the classification of body mass index (BMI) by age. Although the majority of adolescents presented a nutritional eutrophic state, there was a high dissatisfaction with body image, higher in boys, which 64.3% of them had a desire to increase the size of the body silhouette; while 58.8% of the girls wanted to decrease that. By associating body image perception with BMI, it was observed that nutritional status was mainly overestimated in girls, whereas boys expressed greater underestimation of body weight. In both genders, changes in body perception and high prevalence of body dissatisfaction were identified, being more significant in boys. Modifications of body perception potentiate the risk for eating disorders. The need to implement in the school environment, actions that promote changes in the concepts of nutritional education and body image.

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