Relación de la imagen corporal percibida con el índice de masa corporal real en estudiantes de la Escuela de Tecnología Médica de la Universidad de Cuenca. Cuenca octubre 2015 – marzo 2016

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determinate the relationship between the perceived body image with the index of real body mass in students of the School of Medical Technology at the University of Cuenca.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transversal study executed on students of the School of Medical Technology, with a random probability sample of 250 students. Prior informed consent, students were surveyed through the "Body Shape Questionnaire" prepared by: Cooper, Taylor and Fairburn; subsequently they were presented to students the body photographs test by the authors Harris and Col, in which they chose one of the figures that they felt better identified; consecutively this proceeded to the taking of the anthropometric measures for obtaining nutritional status; finally it was compared the perceived body image with the nutritional status of each student. The data was analyzed in SPSS and Excel 2013 V22 program.

RESULTS: Of the total sample of 251 students, 69.7% had a normal nutritional status; 4.4% underweight; 20.7% overweight and 5.2% were obese. 67.3 % of students presented an adequate perception of their body image, 6.8% overestimates overestimate their weight and the 25.9% of the sample underestimated it.

CONCLUSIONS: Most college students presented a correct perception of their body image, when compared to the actual BMI; a minimum percentage of distortion was evident, which proved a tendency to underestimate the conditions that increases the risk of diet-related diseases.