Comparison of body-image self-perception according to Body Mass Index and fat percentage of university students

Introduction: Usually the correlation between BMI and body image is estimated but the correlation using another methodology is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the self-perception of body image using BMI and body fat percentage in college students from the Universidad Autonoma de Chile. Material and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in 1,105 college students of both sexes. Anthropometric measures, assessments of body image perception through anatomical models were performed and also the test of Inventory Behavior Disorders Food EDI-2 was applied. Results: In men there was a better correlation between body fat and self-perception (kappa=0.21) than BMI and self-perception (kappa=0.07). In women, the results were similar in both tests (kappa=0.1). When assessing the agreement between the 2 methods, in both sexes the correlation between BMI and percentage fat was similar (kappa=0.1). Conclusions: Students generally have inadequate self-perception of body image. Finally a low diagnostic agreement between both assessments was observed.