Evaluation of nutritional status and evidence of body dysmorphism in Nutrition and Psychology students

Abstract

Currently, the established aesthetic standard is that all people should be equal, looking sometimes for a unattainable beauty. Thus, some are subject to develop the Body Dysmorphic Disorder, which is a disorder characterized by a dissatisfaction with self-image, in addition to being associated with a detailed defect that does not exist. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze 184 academic courses of Nutrition and Psychology of a community college in Santa Catarina, the nutritional status and concern with body appearance, according to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The procedures used for data collection were questionnaires on sociodemographic variables, as well as questions related to physical exercise and diet performed with professional orientation. Furthermore, it was proposed multiple-choice questions about concerns with some aspects of the appearance, if there was repetitive behavior and if this concern caused suffering. For assessment of nutritional status, it was referred weight and height to calculate BMI, as most academics are eutrophic. The Silhouette Scale was used for participants to identify which body image is framed and which would like to have, being observed that 27.72% were satisfied and 72.28% were dissatisfied with your current image. After statistical analysis, it was observed that only 5.98% of the evaluated academics showed indications of Dysmorphic Disorder. The course of Nutrition presents the most significant results in the correlations evaluated when compared to the course of Psychology, in relation to not presenting suffering in relation to their body, even being dissatisfied and most of the students are eutrophic.