INTRODUCTION: High values of body mass index (BMI) and fat percentage (%F) seem to be associated with body dissatisfaction (BD) and inappropriate eating behaviors (IEB). OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to identify the influence of anthropometric variables on the BD and the IEB in competitive teenage athletes. METHOD: This is a crossed analysis with 580 participants between the ages of 10 and 19 years of both sexes, practitioners of various kinds of sports. The Body Shape Questionnaire was applied to measure the BD. The Eating Attitudes Test was used to evaluate IEB. Skinfolds were measured to estimate the fat percentage (%F). Weight and height were measured to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI). Multiple linear regression method was performed to evaluate the influence of independent variables on the outcomes of the study. RESULTS: The results showed that the BD in female gender was modulated only by %F, unlike the males, in which BMI and %F together explained part of its variance (p<0.05). The IEB in male gender was little influenced by %F. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the %F was the only variable that influenced the BD in both genders. Furthermore, the IEB on young athletes does not seem to be influenced by anthropometric characteristics.
body image; eating behavior; anthropometry
