Body image dissatisfaction during adolescence and its relation to sexual maturation

Authors

  • Maria A Conti Universidade de São Paulo; Facul dade de Saúde Pública; Departamento de Nutrição
  • Ana M D Gambardella Universidade de São Paulo; Facul dade de Saúde Pública; Departamento de Nutrição
  • Maria F P Frutuoso Universidade de São Paulo; Facul dade de Saúde Pública; Departamento de Nutrição

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.19756

Keywords:

Adolescence, Body image, Sexual maturation

Abstract

Severe behavioral problems related to feeding habits, with repercussion on body presentation, perception and image, and related to feeding practices have, nowadays, its prevalence increased. The present study aimed to verify adolescents' perception regarding body image dissatisfaction. We analyzed students of a private school, aged 10 to 14, of both sexes. The boys and girls were divided for the analysis based on their age, transformed into sexual maturation phase. To assess body image perception, an adapted body satisfaction scale was applied, composed of 15 body areas. Boys showed more dissatisfaction with weight, waist and stomach. Girls with weight, chest/breast and stomach. The association between sexual maturation and body satisfaction was significant, among the boys, for the shoulder/back area, while among girls, the significant areas were: face, hair, hip, stomach, waist, chest/breast, muscle strength, height and general aspects. We concluded that post-pubescent girls proved to be more susceptible to the manifestation of body dissatisfaction when compared with their peers.

References

Osório LC. Adolescente hoje. 3ª ed. Porto Alegre: Artes Médicas; 1992.

[WHO] World Health Organization. Physical status: use and interpretation of anthropometry. Genova; 1995.

Schoen-Ferreira TH, Aznar-Farias M, Silvares EFM. A construção da identidade em adolescente: um estudo exploratório. Est. Psicologia. 2003; 8(1):107-15.

Ozella S. Adolescências construídas. A visão da psicologia sócio-historica. São Paulo: Cortez Editora; 2003.

Salles LMF. Adolescência, escola e cotidiano. Contradições entre o genérico e o popular. Piracicaba: Editora Unimep; 1998.

Vaccari VL. Saúde sexual, escolas promotoras de saúde e relações de gênero: representações de adolescentes sobre masculinidades e feminilidades [dissertação]. São Paulo (SP): Faculdade de Saúde Publica da Universidade de São Paulo;2002.

Gambardella AMD. Práticas alimentares de adolescentes. Rev Nutr. 1999;1:55-9.

Willams JM, Currie C. Self-esteem and physical development in early adolescence: pubertal time and body image. J Early Adolesc. 2000;20(2):129-49.

[WHO] World Health Organization. What about boys? A literature review on the health and development of boys adolescents. Switzerland;2000.

Siegel JM, Yancey AK, Aneshensel CS, Schler R. Body image, perceived pubertal timing and adolescent mental health. J Adolesc Health. 1999; 25:155-65.

Brodie DA, Bagley K, Slade PD. Body image perception in pre-and post adolescent females. Percep Mot Skills.1994; 78:147-54.

O’Dea JÁ, Caputi P. Association between socioeconomic status, weight, age and gender, and the body image and weight control practices of6- to 19- year-old children and adolescent. Health Educ Res. 2001; 16(5): 521-32.

Richards MH, Petersen AC, Boxer AM, Albrecht R. Relation of weight to body image in pubertal girls and boys from two communities. Dev Psychol. 1990;26(2):313-21.

Fleitlich B.W. O papel da imagem corporal e os riscos de transtornos alimentares. Pediatria Moderna. 1997;32(1/2):56-62.

Atkinson RS, Nitzke AS. School based program son obesity. BMJ. 2001;323(7320):1018-9.

Wang, T, Monteiro C, Popkin BM. Trends of obesity and underweight in older children and adolescent in the United States, Brazil, China and Russia. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;75:971-7.

Archibald, AB, Graber JA , Brooks-Gunn J. Association among parent-adolescent relationship, pubertal growth, dieting, and body image in young adolescent girls: A short-term longitudinal study. J Res Adolesc. 1999; 9(4): 395-415.

Brook, U, Tepper I. High school students’ attitudes and knowledge of food consumption and body image: Implications for school based education. Patient Educ Couns. 1997;30:283-8.

Guedes MLS, Guedes IS. Bioestatística para profissionais de saúde. 1ª ed. Rio de Janeiro, Brasília: ao Livro Técnico/CNPq; 1988.

Brown, TA, Cash TF, Mikulka PJ. Attitudinal body-image assessment: Factor analysis of the body-self relations questionnaire. J Pers Assess.1990; 55: 135-44.

Loland, NW. Body image and physical activity. A survey among Norwegian men and women. Int J Sport and Psychol. 1998;29:339-65.

Villas-Boas JPC. Adolescentes em situação de pré-vestibular: atividade física e estresse [dissertação]. São Paulo (SP): Faculdade de Saúde Publica da Universidade de São Paulo; 2002.

Cuadrado C, Carbajal A, Moreiras O. Body perceptions and slimming attitudes reported by Spanish adolescents. Eur J Clin Nutri. 2000; 54(1): 65-8.

Davies E, Furnham M. Body satisfaction in adolescent girls. Brit J Med Psychol. 1986; 59:279-87.

Vilela JEM, Lamounier JA, Dellaretti Filho MA, Neto JRB, Horta GM. Transtornos alimentares em escolares. J Pediatr. 2004; 80: 49-54.

Ricciardelli, LA, McCabe MP, Banfield S. Body image and body change methods in adolescent boys role of parents, friends and the media. J Psych Res. 2000; 49:189-97.

Feingold A, Mazella R. Gender differences in body image are increasing. Psycol Science. 1998;9(3):190-5.

Grogan S, Wainwright T. Growing up in the culture of slenderness – Girl’s experience of body dissatisfaction. Women’s Stud Int Forum. 1996;19(6):665-73.

Serra GMA, Santos EM. Saúde e mídia na construção da obesidade e do corpo perfeito. CiêncSaúde Coletiva. 2003; 8(3): 691-701.

Bergstrom E, Stenlund H, Svedjehall B. Assessment of body perception among Swedish adolescent and young adults. J Adolesc Health. 2000;26:70-5.

Attie I, Brooks-Gunn J. Development of eating problems in adolescent girls: A longitudinal study. Dev Psychol. 1989;189(25):70-9.

Piccinini CA, Benincá C, Hennigen I, Hernandez JAE. Estereótipos sociais vinculados aos formatos corporais em adolescentes. Aletheia. 1996; 3:11-6.

Downloads

Published

2005-08-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2 (2005)

Section

Original Research

License

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR JOURNAL  PUBLISHERS

 

Publishers who are Committee on Publication Ethics members and who support COPE membership for journal editors should:

 

Publishers should:

 

  • Define the relationship between publisher, editor and other parties in a contract
  • Respect privacy (for example, for research participants, for authors, for peer reviewers)
  • Protect intellectual property and copyright
  • Foster editorial independence

 

Publishers should work with journal editors to:

 

  • Set journal policies appropriately and aim to meet those policies, particularly with respect to:

–         Editorial  independence

–         Research ethics, including confidentiality, consent, and the special requirements for human and animal research

–         Authorship

–         Transparency and integrity (for example, conflicts of interest, research funding, reporting standards

–         Peer review and the role of the editorial team beyond that of the journal editor

–         Appeals and complaints

  • Communicate journal policies (for example, to authors, readers, peer reviewers)
  • Review journal policies periodically, particularly with respect to new recommendations from the COPE
  • Code of Conduct for Editors and the COPE Best Practice Guidelines
  • Maintain the integrity of the academic record
  • Assist the parties (for example, institutions, grant funders, governing bodies) responsible for the investigation of suspected research and publication misconduct and, where possible, facilitate in the resolution of these cases
  • Publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions
  • Publish content on a timely basis