Body perception and eating disorder in Spanish university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12873/451hoyosKeywords:
body image, young adults, body mass index, EAT-26, body silhouettesAbstract
Introduction
The link between food and body perception is influenced by biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors and can lead to habits that are hazardous to health. This is reinforced by social pressure, especially directed at women, to maintain a slim body. In addition, the university stage is a critical stage that can lead to an increased risk for the development of eating disorders (ED).
Objective
To assess the association between nutritional status, body image perception and body image satisfaction with the risk of developing an ED in a sample of young university students.
Methods
A survey was carried out on 468 university students using Google Forms, consisting of a silhouette test and a questionnaire to diagnose the risk of ED (EAT-26).
Results
61.5 % of the men and 66.8 % of the women were in the normopese nutritional category. 11.4 % of the women and 5.6 % of the men were at high risk of ED.
Discussion
The study shows differences in body perception and satisfaction between sexes, as well as in the likelihood of developing an ED, and these results are in line with most previous research and reviews.
Conclusion
The risk of ED is more frequent in overweight and obese women and underweight men. Figure perception is not significantly associated with the risk of ED, while satisfaction is a determinant, as the proportion of individuals at low and high risk of ED is higher among those who would like to be thinner than among those who would like to be heavier.
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