Objective
The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of body dissatisfaction and irregular eating patterns among high school students in the city of Coari - AM.
Methods
The data collection was carried out in the high schools of the city, through questionnaires related to dissatisfaction with body image in order to assess the levels of body dissatisfaction among these adolescents aged from 14 to 20 years old.
Results
The study involved the participation of 509 students, being 229 males and 280 females. In the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) scale, most of the youth analyzed did not present distortions in their body image, although a small portion demonstrated a slight degree of distortion. Even so, a higher prevalence of mild dissatisfaction with body image was noted in 9.6% of the female adolescents, a difference four times greater compared to the male group. According to the Evolution of Body Dissatisfaction Scale for Adolescents (EEICA), the majority of youth evaluated did not show symptoms that could lead to the development of eating disorders and, of the youth who showed any symptoms, the majority were female in the age group from 15 to 16 years, while in male youth, the symptoms only increase slightly at the age of 17 years old. It was also observed that female adolescents had a greater tendency to exhibit risk behaviors for eating disorders compared to male adolescents.
Conclusion
Therefore, the major of the youth studied presented neither dissatisfaction with their self-image neither no eating disorder. However, when the dissatisfaction with the self-image was identified, it was identified most prevalent in the female group, especially between 15 and 16 years old, compared with male group. The same results were observed in the self-perception of body image and eating disorder. These findings may suggest the presence of behaviors that can be harmful to health, such as inadequate diets and carrying out physical activities without proper guidance, as well as the emergence of eating disorders.
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