The Relationship of Perceived Body Image, Body Mass Index and Physical Activity with Weight Status among Students at King Abdulaziz University Hospital

Aim: Identify the relation between poor esteem for body image and weight-related behaviors. The results will help increase awareness and improve students’ lifestyles to have a better body image and achieve ideal body weight.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among King Abdulaziz University medical students (n= 460) between July to the end of August 2019. Data was collected using the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ), figure rating scale (FRS) and analyzed using SPSS software.

Result: The results showed that the average Body Mass Index (BMI) was 24.80 ± 11.89. Participant sex was an important factor influencing the prevalence of obesity; male students were more obese than female students with a significant difference (p<0.001). The level of body satisfaction was also affected by gender. Students in preclinical years were more likely to gain weight more than clinical years students.

Conclusion: The results show a significant relationship between body satisfaction and gender (P<0.0001) despite having diverse BMIs. Overweight and obese males and females' participants had the lowest body satisfaction. Females who were too thin and had low BMIs described themselves as normal, while males describe themselves as too thin. Conversely, females with high BMIs described themselves as too fat, while males described themselves as normal. This could be due to different factors. Also, underweight females and males have high body satisfaction, which can lead to dangerous behaviors to maintain low body weight which cause negative health consequences.