Self-perception of body image of Brazilian adolescents from 2009 to 2019 according to Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE)

Abstract

This study analyzes the self-perception of body image reported by adolescents from 2009 to 2019 according to sex and region, based on the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE). An epidemiological, descriptive time-series analysis was carried out with prevalence and trend measures of how adolescents perceive themselves in relation to their bodies according to the data provided by the PeNSE surveys from 2009 to 2019. The prevalence of adolescents who considered themselves normal reached 47.6% (95%CI: 46.1-49.1) in 2019, representing a negative difference of 12.5 percentage points (p.p.) and a variation of 20.7% compared to 2009. In 2019, 31.4% (95%CI: 30.0-32.9) of boys reported feeling thin or very thin, a difference of 8.4p.p. compared to 2009. On the other hand, 28.6% (95%CI: 26.1-31.1) of girls perceived themselves as fat or very fat in 2019, representing a variation of 7.3p.p. compared to 2009. In recent years, there has been a change in the body self-perception of adolescents, with a reduction in the prevalence of those who consider themselves normal and an increase among those who consider themselves thin or very thin for males and fat or very fat for females. These results indicates the importance of investigating the consequences of perceiving oneself as thin or very thin and fat or very fat in the lives of adolescents.