Abstract
Aim: Body perception is the harmony between perceived and possessed body weight, and disturbances in body perception may form the basis for negative conditions such as mood disorders, depression, eating disorders, obesity, and excessively increased physical activity. The aim of the study is to evaluate the body perception and body satisfaction of women between the ages of 20-55.
Method: 236 women between the ages of 20-55 participated in the study. In the study, information about anthropometric measurements, sociodemographic characteristics, and the level of knowledge about obesity was obtained from the participants. In order to determine body perceptions, the silhouettes with certain Body Mass Index (BMI) values ranked from 1 to 6 were evaluated by the participants according to their personalities, health, and social characteristics.
Results: Body weight dissatisfaction was found in 65,3% of the women participating in the study; It was observed that 92,2% of those who were not satisfied wanted to lose weight. Participants matched silhouettes with low BMI with more positive personalities, social and health characteristics. Body dissatisfaction and impaired body weight perception were significantly associated with increased BMI, age, and chronic illness; it was observed that there was no significant relationship between education level, occupational group, physical activity level, and knowledge level about obesity.
Conclusion: It was determined that most of the women had a distorted body image, idealized a thinner body appearance, and identified overweight silhouettes as obese.