Actitud hacia la obesidad, comportamiento, emociones y creencias irracionales acerca de la alimentación y el peso según la percepción de la imagen corporal

Abstract

Body image perception influences how people interpret their weight, regulate their eating behavior, and develop attitudes toward obesity. The discrepancy between actual and perceived BMI may be related to emotions, irrational beliefs about food and weight, and eating habits, regardless of whether or not an individual has obesity. In addition, factors such as physical activity and sociodemographic characteristics can modify satisfaction with body image.The objective was to identify the factors associated with body satisfaction in a sample of adults from the State of Mexico. Material and methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted among Mexican adults. The sample included 390 participants aged 30 to 59 years. Validated questionnaires were used to assess attitudes toward obesity, eating behavior, emotions, irrational beliefs about weight and food, and body image perception through silhouette figures. Additionally, sociodemographic, physical activity, eating habits, and self-reported BMI data were collected. Results: A discrepancy was found between self-reported and silhouette-perceived BMI, with the latter generally being higher. Although most participants fell within the normal weight or overweight categories, their body perception tended toward overweight. Body satisfaction was explained by different variables depending on sex. In women, it was negatively associated with BMI and abdominal perception, and positively associated with age and height. In men, it was positively influenced by perceived physical strength and negatively by abdominal perception. As a product of this thesis, two scientific articles were generated: one focusing on the relationship between self-perception of body weight, eating habits, and physical activity; and another examining the role of sociodemographic and body variables in predicting satisfaction with body image.