Avaliação da satisfação corporal em universitárias dos cursos de graduação em saúde de uma instituição pública na Bahia

Abstract

Introduction: According to their experiences, each person builds their Body Image (CI) over time, that is, the notion of the size, shape and weight of their own body. Women have historically been the most affected by body dissatisfaction, as society imposes unattainable aesthetic standards on them, which are far from the real bodies of most people. Upon entering the university environment, students are faced with new responsibilities, adjustments to institutional rules, tiring workload and pressure to achieve good academic performance. These factors may be responsible for several changes in the lifestyle and eating habits of these women. In view of the above, this study aims to describe the socioeconomic, demographic and health profile and body satisfaction of female students taking undergraduate health courses at a public higher education institution in Bahia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and exploratory study, carried out from August to November 2022, with students from the Health Sciences Center (CCS), at the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia, located in Santo Antônio de Jesus-Bahia. Female students were included, aged ≥ 18 years and ≤ 60 years, regularly enrolled in any period of the Interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree in Health (BIS), Nursing (ENF), Medicine (MED), Psychology (PSI) and Nutrition (NUT). To assess body satisfaction, the ¨Body Shape Questionaire¨ (BSQ) was used, a version validated for Portuguese. To collect data, a self-administered questionnaire was used, consisting of 34 questions, originally developed and validated for women. Results: During the data collection period, 26 students were evaluated, with an average age of 23 years. Regarding race/color and socioeconomic conditions, half of the women (n=13) declared themselves black and more than half (n=16) had a monthly income >1 minimum wage. Regarding the BSQ questionnaire, it was observed that half of the women (n=13) presented some body dissatisfaction, ranging from mild to severe dissatisfaction. Conclusion: It is concluded that the majority of participants declared themselves black, with a monthly income >1 minimum wage, reported dissatisfaction with body image and physical activity.