NutriBodEC: A Cross-sectional Survey on Nutrition and Body Image in the Eastern Caribbean

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Body image dissatisfaction often driven by experiences as well as exposure to "unrealistic” body images through various visual media, has been linked to individual health. AIM: Our pilot study intended to assess perceptions of body image and links to various lifestyle factors including diet. METHODS: We surveyed 115 persons, ages 17 to 65, between 2018 and 2022 in the Eastern Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis. Logistic analyses were applied. RESULTS: Less than 20% of participants regarded their diet as "healthy". Neither food type nor portion sizes were significantly associated with weight, body types or perceptions of self. However, respondents with higher BMI (>25 kg/m2) were more likely (OR: 3.64; 95%CI: 1.63, 8.60) to eat larger portions of fish than those with lower BMI. The most desirable body types were (i) for women: hourglass (wide bust, narrow waist, with wide hips) and triangle (wide hips) and (ii) for men: inverted triangle (broad shoulders with small waist) and trapezium (broad shoulders with medium waist). Median complexions were higher ranked than extremes. While most respondents did not rate body types similar to their own as highly desirable, persons tended to rank complexion at least somewhat similar to their own more favorably. Male respondents were less likely to have negative thoughts about their appearance (OR: 0.41; 95%CI: 0.17, 0.94). Persons with BMI>25 kg/m2 were marginally more likely to be dissatisfied with taking selfies (OR: 2.84; 95%CI: 0.90, 10.91) than participants with lower BMI. Students, many of whom had to wear tailored uniforms to school, had a higher likelihood of anxiety (OR: 3.19; 95%CI: 1.10, 11.62) around their appearance relative to their non-academic counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to existing literature on perceptions of body image, while providing profiles of diet, body image satisfaction and health in an overlooked population