Imagem corporal, estética e composição corporal de mulheres jovens com diferentes níveis de atividade física

Abstract

Body image is defined as the perceptions, thoughts and feelings of a person about his body. The practice of physical activity may be an alternative to promote both image enhancement and body aesthetics. Physical exercise has the ability to alter measures of body composition related to aesthetics. OBJECTIVE: To compare body image and aesthetics among two groups of women with different levels of physical activity. METHODS: A total of 79 healthy young women between the ages of 18 and 35 years were evaluated, who at the time of the evaluations could not be in the menstrual period, nor pregnant and with a fasting for at least 4 hours. Women were divided into two groups: 39 women with low / moderate physical activity level and 40 with high physical activity level according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Anthropometric measures and body composition were measured: pectoral, abdominal, hip and calf circumferences. The hip abdomen index (IAQ) and the somatotype were performed. The body composition was analyzed using an InBody S10 multifrequency device, which calculates the percentage of fat mass (% MG), the total MG in kg, the skeletal muscle mass in kg (MM), the Body Mass Index BMI kg / m²) and area of visceral fat (VFA) in cm². Body scape questionnaire (BSQ) was used to verify body image. Twenty physical education professionals participated in the evaluation committee, of which 10 were men and 10 women, active in the Fitness, body aesthetics and health market, being directly linked to some paid activity for at least 12 consecutive months. RESULTS: The group with low / moderate level of physical activity, showed a lower weekly (min / wk) level of physical activity of mild, moderate and vigorous intensity when compared to the group High level of physical activity (p <0.05). For the anthropometric and body composition parameters, only MG / height² was found to be superior (p = 0.047) in the low / moderate group of physical activity. The score in the BSQ questionnaire (Low / Moderate: 95.9 ± 35.6 vs High: 96.9 ± 30.4), the current silhouettes (Low / Moderate: 4 [2-7] vs High: 4 [1- 7]) and ideal (Low / Moderate: 3 [1- 4] vs. High: 2 [1-4]) as well as body image dissatisfaction (Low / Moderate: -1 [-5-1] vs. High: - 1 [-4-3] were not different (p> 0.05) between the Low / moderate and High level of physical activity groups. The general body aesthetic score (Low / Moderate: 3.9 ± 1.0 vs. High: 4.3 ± 1.4), attributed only by men (Low / Moderate: 3.0 [1.7-5.4] vs High: 3.3 [1.5-6.2] and only by women (Low / Moderate: 4.3 [2.3-7.0] vs High: 4.9 [2.1-7.9 ]) did not differ significantly (p> 0.05) between groups with different levels of physical activity. CONCLUSION: The level of physical activity was not shown to influence the image and body aesthetics of women.