Percepção da imagem corporal, características socioeconômicas e estilo de vida em mulheres baianas.

Abstract

Body image perception is a subjective construct that can influence women's health. Therefore, the objective is to estimate the prevalence of body image accuracy and distortion, as well as to investigate associations between body image distortion, socioeconomic characteristics, lifestyle and demand for gynecological health care among Bahian women participating in the ELSA-Brasil cohort. A total of 609 women between 50 and 69 years of age participated in the study and two questionnaires were used for data production. Association measures were calculated using simple and multinomial logistic regression, with risk ratios and their confidence intervals being computed using Stata. Most participants have an accurate perspective of their own body (53.7%). Among those with distorted perception, there is a tendency to distort for less weight (38.1%). In the multinomial regression analysis, the variables race/color and education remained associated with the distortion towards less weight, with the first being positively associated with the distortion towards less weight among mixed race women (RRR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.13– 3.16) and black (RRR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.25–3.55), while the second among those with up to high school (RRR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.18 –2.33). There were no associations with the other variables or with the distortion for more weight. The results contribute to the explanation of the relationship between body image perception and socioeconomic factors among the participants.