Body nutritional state, satisfaction and perception of employees from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Ribeirão Preto Campus. / Estado nutricional, satisfação e percepção corporal em funcionários do Campus de Ribeirão Preto - USP

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

Obesity is considered a chronic disease in which the rise of the prevalence in the last decades has determined important implications for the definition of priorities and action strategies in the public health area. Its approach must include, not only the organic aspects related to etiology and therapeutic, but also the psychological factors, mainly the ones related to body image. Because of this, the objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional state and investigate the body perception and satisfaction on the City Hall employees from the Administrative Campus in the University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto. For this, two hundred and nine (209) people of both genders were evaluated and answered a self-applicable questionnaire with socio demographic questions, self body evaluation, the necessity and wish of losing weight among other questions related to the knowledge and interest for a program of alimentary re-education of the Nursing School of University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto (PRAUSP-EERP). Measures of weight, height and waist circumference were collected together with the use of the Figure Scale of the Silhouette for the evaluation of the body image. As a result, the average age of the participants was of 45 years-old, in which 75,6% were male and most of them were married or had a stable relationship and had the average education and almost half of them had a monthly income of five minimum wages. The real BMI, calculated by the weight and height, was of 27,7 Kg/m2 and 44,5% of the people was overweight and 27,2% was obese. The waist circumference was of 97,1 cm in which only a third of the people were found with acceptable values on this parameter. This group felt fat and with a considered level of dissatisfaction with their current weight. Therefore, most of them would like to weigh less than they had in the time of the study; 70,8% thought that they needed to lose weight and 73,2% presented the will to do so. The BMI related to the current silhouette choice was 28.6 Kg/m2 and the one chosen as the wished silhouette was 23,4 Kg/m2. In relation to the body perception there was a difference between the real and current BMI suggesting a possible distortion of the body image on these people, mainly on the women. The same results were found in relation to the body satisfaction when compared with the current and wished BMI, however, with a difference between the genders. More than half of them had heard about the PRAUSP-EERP and demonstrated interest in taking part in the program (67,9% and 61,2%, respectively). In conclusion this population presented a high prevalence of weigh excess and metabolic risks related to obesity and moreover, overestimated the body weight and presented discontented with the image they had of themselves. These results led to a worrying situation making the planning of strategies related to the prevention and treatment of obesity of fundamental importance.

ASSUNTO(S)

estado nutricional nutritional state sobrepeso imagem corporal obesidade body image. obesity overweight

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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