Objectives: To identify the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction and anorexia and bulimia symptoms in adolescent girls from the city of Santa Maria, Brazil, and to determine the association of body image dissatisfaction with nutritional status, body fat, and anorexia and bulimia symptoms. Method: We investigated 258 adolescent girls (11 to 13 years) from public schools. The Body Shape Questionnaire and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) were used. Body mass index and percent body fat were calculated. The chi-square test and logistic regression were used. Results: The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 25.3% and the prevalence of anorexia and bulimia symptoms was 27.6%. Body image dissatisfaction was associated with nutritional status, with overweight girls presenting higher dissatisfaction (OR = 2.64; 95%CI 1.02-6.83). Conclusion: The prevalence rates of body image dissatisfaction and anorexia and bulimia symptoms were high. Nutritional status seems to be a better predictor of body image dissatisfaction.
Body image; anorexia; bulimia; anthropometry
