Body image, weight discrepancy and body mass index among university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between body image, weight discrepancy and body mass index among female university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 183 university students aged 18.7±1.17 years volunteered to participate in the study. Anthropometric variables were measured according to the protocol of International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). Body image perception was assessed using silhouette matching techniques. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between body image and weight perceptions in relation to actual physical measurements by means of two indices: Feel minus Ideal Discrepancy (FID) and FAI (Feel weight status minus actual weight status inconsistency). One-way ANOVA was computed to test for any substantial differences in the participants’ dependent measures according to body mass index (BMI) categories. Percentage distribution of participants’ actual weight categories were 71% (underweight), 18.6% (normal weight) and 10.4% (overweight). Using the body silhouette chart, the mean value for the participants’ feel and ideal figures were 3.6 and 2.2, while their FID and FAI scores were 1.4 and 0.55, respectively. Results of the regression analysis indicated that every unit increase in Feel figure yielded a highly significant increase in BMI by 1.4 kg/m2. By contrast, a unit increase in the Ideal figure resulted in a non-significant decrease in BMI by -0.19 kg/m2. The relationship between the actual body weight and body image discrepancy among Riyadh university students has practical implications for their health.