Association of Body Image Perception / (Dis)Satisfaction and Symptoms of Eating Disorders in University Students of Health Sciences

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the association of body image perception / (dis)satisfaction with eating disorders symptoms. We conducted a cross-sectional university-based study with 534 students, aged 18 years or older, from a federal higher education institution specializing in health sciences and located in Southern Brazil in 2023. We evaluated eating disorder symptoms using the Brazilian version of the SCOFF screening tool (≥2 symptoms) and body image using a silhouette scale developed for Brazilian adults. The mean age of the sample (78.3% female) was 23.3 (SD = 6.2) years. The prevalence of eating disorder symptoms was 53.6% (95% CI: 49.3–57.8). In terms of body image, the prevalence of (dis)satisfaction was 64.6% (95% CI: 60.5–68.7) and of body image distortion was 53.4% (95% CI: 49.1–57.6). Students dissatisfied with their body image due to excess weight were 2.16 times more likely to report eating disorder symptoms (PR = 2.16; 95% CI: 1.66–2.80; p < .001). Similarly, students who overestimated their body size were 35% more likely to report eating disorder symptoms (PR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.12–1.63; p = .002). In conclusion, we found a significant association between body image perception / (dis)satisfaction and symptoms of eating disorders in university students of health sciences.