Body dissatisfaction and associated factors in normal weight adolescents

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Body dissatisfaction is widespread and is associated with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem. There is very little research on body dissatisfaction in normal weight adolescents, who make up the majority of all adolescents. AIM: to establish the prevalence, degree, direction and factors associated with body dissatisfaction among adolescents with normal body weight. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included tenth-graders of general education schools (n = 244, 64.3% girls), who underwent anthropometry and filled out questionnaires that included socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. Collins scales were used to assess body dissatisfaction, and the Russian version of the PedsQL 4.0 questionnaire (Lyon, France), was used to assess health-related quality of life. Self-esteem scores were obtained from the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. RESULTS: The desire to have silhouettes different from the actual ones was reported by 57% of adolescents. 39.8% of adolescents had mild body dissatisfaction, moderate and severe — 17.2%. The frequency and degree of body dissatisfaction was comparable in adolescents of both sexes. Boys were much more likely than girls to consider themselves too thin and wanted to gain weight (49.4%), while 51.6% of schoolgirls would like to lose weight. Body dissatisfaction, even mild, was associated with significantly lower self-esteem. Moreover moderate/severe body dissatisfaction has been associated with a decline in all aspects of quality of life. In addition, significant associations of body dissatisfaction and the length of time on the Internet / social networks and at TV screens were established. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study substantiate the approach to body dissatisfaction as a problem that requires active identification and directed impact, and determine possible areas of preventive work with adolescents.