Relationship of Overweight and Obesity with Body Self-Image Dissatisfaction in Urban Mediterranean Adolescents

Dolores Escrivá, Esther Moreno-Latorre, Jordi Caplliure-Llopis, Inmaculada Benet and Carlos Barrios
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Dolores Escrivá: Intensive Care Unit, La Fe Polytechnic and University Hospital, 46026 Valencia, Spain
Esther Moreno-Latorre: School of Psychology and Education Sciences, Valencia Catholic University, 46110 Godella, Spain
Jordi Caplliure-Llopis: Institute for Research on Musculoskeletal Disorders, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Valencia Catholic University, 46001 Valencia, Spain
Inmaculada Benet: Surgical Nursing Division, Valencia Clinic Hospital, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Carlos Barrios: Primary Health Care Services, La Ribera University Hospital, 46600 Alzira, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze whether weight status has a relationship with the prevalence of body self-image dissatisfaction in Mediterranean urban teenagers. A series of 809 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years underwent anthropometric measurements according to ISAK protocols and completed the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). The overall overweight prevalence according to International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria was 11.5%, and 2.7% for obesity. Girls showed higher overweight prevalence than boys (18.4% vs. 12.9%; p < 0.05). At the late adolescence period (16–17 y), obesity was observed in the boys but not in the girls (8.7% vs. 0%; p < 0.01). There was a relative low prevalence of body image (BI) dissatisfaction among participants (boys 17.3%; girls 22.7%). In the late adolescence period, the girls were more often classified as being dissatisfied (31%). A weak correlation between the BSQ scores and all the anthropometric variables related to the adiposity profile was detected only in the boys. A logistic regression confirmed that female adolescents and the late pubertal period had a significant association with body dissatisfaction, regardless of their weight status. As BI are not related to weight status measured by body mass index (BMI) percentiles, other factors beyond anthropometry deserve further research to explain BI concerns specifically in girls.

Keywords: body image; adolescence; anthropometry; weight status; overweight; obesity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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