Dissatisfaction with body image and associated factors in adult women

Abstract

Objective To associate body image with sociodemographic profile, lifestyle, anthropometry and health conditions in adult women. Methods Prevalence study, conducted in a probabilistic cluster sample (n=35 Primary Education Schools) conducted in 2016 with 633 teachers. Sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated; morbidities, anthropometric variables; subjective health issues; lifestyle and self-reported morbidities. Results The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 48.7%. There was a greater chance of dissatisfaction among older women who have children, unsatisfactory lifestyle, are overweight, with poor health/poor self-perception of health, and the presence of depressive symptoms. Women who had a poor lifestyle had a four-fold greater chance of dissatisfaction with body appearance (Odds Ratio=4.193) than women who had a satisfactory lifestyle. Conclusion The results revealed that almost half of the adult women surveyed in this study reported dissatisfaction with their body image. This outcome indicates the need for interventions and program implementation related to body image dissatisfaction among women.