INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between body image dissatisfaction and two indicators of nutritional status in Brazilian university students, and also to identify the best predictor of body image dissatisfaction in Brazilian university students. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 256 university students (128 males). Data were collected on demographics (age and sex), anthropometrics (body mass, stature and skinfold thickness), and body image (current silhouette and ideal silhouette). Body mass index (< 18.5 or ≥ 25.0 kg/m² = abnormal) and the sum of five skinfolds (≤ 30 or ≥ 62 and ≤ 43 or ≥ 76 mm = abnormal, for men and women, respectively) were then calculated. The analysis included descriptive statistics, proportionality testing, chi-square test and logistic regression. RESULTS: Mean age of the sample was 23.1 years (standard deviation = 5.3) and the frequency of body image dissatisfaction was 78.8%. Body image dissatisfaction was not associated with sex or body mass index. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the odds ratio for abnormal sum of five skinfolds was 2.56. CONCLUSION: Body mass index was not a determinant of body image dissatisfaction, whereas the sum of five skinfolds proved to be a significant predictor of this disorder, irrespective of sex.
Body image; nutritional status; students; self-image
