BMI and sociodemographic correlates of body image perception and attitudes in school-aged children

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify correlates of body image perception and dissatisfaction among school-aged children from Colombia, a country undergoing the nutrition transition. Design: Cross-sectional study. Using child-adapted Stunkard scales, children were asked to indicate the silhouette that most closely represented their current and desired body shapes. Body image dissatisfaction (BID) score was estimated as current minus desired silhouette. Height and weight were measured in all children. Sociodemographic data were collected through questionnaires completed by the children's mothers. Setting: Public primary schools in Bogotá, Colombia. Subjects: Children aged 5-12 years (n 629) and their mothers. Results: Mean BID score was 0.1 (SD 1.7). The strongest predictor of BID was actual BMI-for-age Z-score (BAZ). Compared with children with BAZ ≥-1 and <1, those with BAZ ≥ 2 had a 1.9 units higher BID score (P for trend <0.0001). BID tended to be higher in girls than boys at any level of BAZ. Other correlates of BID included child's height-for-age Z-score, maternal BMI and dissatisfaction with the child's body, and home ownership. Conclusions: Among school-aged children from a country experiencing the nutrition transition, body image perception was associated with the child's weight and height, and with maternal BMI, dissatisfaction with the child's body and socio-economic level.