Body image of female adolescents and its association with body composition and sedentary behavior

The scope of this article is to evaluate the body image and its association with body composition, anthropometric indicators and sedentary behavior of female adolescents. It involved a cross-sectional study with female adolescents from Vicosa in the state of Minas Gerais. The body image was assessed by the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and by the Silhouette Scale. The body fat percentage (MP) and other anthropometric parameters were measured. The sedentary behavior (SB) was evaluated by the sum of screen time (ST) and cellular time (CT). The sample consisted of 274 adolescents, the majority having an adequate BMI (81.6%), however, 53.9% had elevated BFP. More than half of the adolescents had elevated SB, 68.2% with ST and 54.7% with CT above 2h. Body dissatisfaction was expressed as 45.7% by BSQ and 50.2% wished for a silhouette different than the current silhouette. The waist circumference (WC) (OR = 11.94, CI = 2.744 - 51.728) and waist-to-height ratio (WIIR) (OR = 10.535, CI 3.109 - 35.698) were the measurements most associated with body dissatisfaction. All body composition measurements were significantly associated with body dissatisfaction, and the WC and WHR the most conditioning factors with dissatisfaction. The SB was elevated; however, it was not associated with a negative assessment of body image.