&lt;b&gt;Females and post-pubescent adolescents: groups with high exposure to the development of body image dissatisfaction in São Bonifácio, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Yara Lucy Fidelix,Andreia Pelegrini,Edio Luiz Petroski

doi:10.4025/actascihealthsci.v36i2.19290

<b>Females and post-pubescent adolescents: groups with high exposure to the development of body image dissatisfaction in São Bonifácio, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Yara Lucy Fidelix, Andreia Pelegrini + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.4025/actascihealthsci.v36i2.19290

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Abstract

To determine the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction in adolescents and analyse associated factors. The sample under analysis comprised 278 adolescents, 10- to 17-year-old students from government schools in a small town in southern Brazil. Sociodemographic information was collected (age, sex, area of residence and educational level of family head), coupled to self-assessment of sexual maturation and body image perception (scale of body silhouettes). Frequency distribution was employed for statistical analysis; Student’s t test was applied for independent samples; chi-square and Fisher's exact test and Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment were used. The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 59.3%, or rather, higher among females (65.6%) than among males (53%). An association between body image and sexual maturation existed which revealed that post-pubescent adolescents were more likely to show body image dissatisfaction when compared to their pre-pubescent peers. Females and post-pubescent adolescents were more likely to feel body image dissatisfaction. Intervention programs may be proposed as strategies for the construction of a positive body image.

Highlights

Body beauty is established and standardized by different criteria which vary according to the way men and women see it and to a specific and peculiar moment in history lived by society
The study on body image perception and associated factors in a small town has been a development of the project “Physical activity and lifestyle: a study of three generations in São Bonifácio, Santa Catarina State, Brazil” approved by the Ethics Committee in Human Research - Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) (Process no. 973/2010)
The study sample was composed of 278 adolescents, 147 boys and 131 girls, with mean age 13 years for both sexes

Summary

Introduction

Body beauty is established and standardized by different criteria which vary according to the way men and women see it and to a specific and peculiar moment in history lived by society. There is an ‘fever’ for the perfect body, causing people to manifest changes in the representation of their body image (FERREIRA et al, 2005). Since the social media constantly expose beautiful bodies and encourage people to become. Health Sciences compulsive in the search for ideal anatomy, there is concomitantly an increase in the dissatisfaction of overall body image (FROIS et al, 2011). Studies on this section of the population have revealed a high prevalence of body image dissatisfaction (CORSEUIL et al, 2009; VILELA et al, 2004)

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