Abstract

AERTS, Denise; MADEIRA, Rafael Roswag  and  ZART, Vera Beatriz. Body image of teenage students from Gravatai, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [online]. 2010, vol.19, n.3, pp.283-291. ISSN 1679-4974.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742010000300010.

OBJECTIVE: to describe body image according to gender, self-reported skin color, nutritional status, age group, and sexual maturity of students from the 5th to the 8th grade of public schools from Gravatai, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in 2005. METHODOLOGY: cross-sectional study including a representative sample of 1,442 students. Body image was assessed using the Body Shape Questionnaire. The associations between the outcome and the factors studied were tested using the chi-square test. RESULT: among students, 75.1% were not concernedabout their body image. Girls were more concerned than boys (p<0.000) and, among teenagers who self-reported being white, we found a higher level of concern about body image (p=0.004). Obese and overweight students (p<0.000) and those in the postpubertal age (p<0.030) also showedhigher lack of satisfaction with their body image. CONCLUSION: school and health professionals should focus their attention on adolescents belonging to those groups showing higher lack of satisfaction, offering opportunities that emphasize the relevance of making healthy choices for their lives.

Keywords : student's health; adolescence; body image; nutritional status.

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