OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of body image (BI) with sexual maturation and symptoms of eating disorders among adolescents. METHODS: A total of 325 adolescent girls (11 to 14 years) from Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were studied. A body silhouette scale and the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) were used. Information about menarche were recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of BI dissatisfaction was 75.8%, with 61.5% of the girls wishing to reduce body weight. The mean age at menarche was 11.5 years (SD = 0.99). A significant association was observed between BI and menarche (p < 0.001), age at menarche (p < 0.001), and symptoms of eating disorders (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The presence of menarche and its occurrence at an early age causes adolescents show a greater desire to lose weight. In addition, girls wishing to be thinner are more likely to present symptoms of eating disorders.
Body image; menarche; eating disorders
