Abstract

The imposition of the aesthetic model in today’s societies, excessively thin in women and muscular for men, leads to the body representation being greatly influenced by these external standards, generating dissatisfaction. The objective this study was de- scribe the degree of dissatisfaction with body image, and relationship with objective nutritional status, perception and concordance in university men and women. This was done transactional study of quantitative type with descriptive-correlational scope. The sample was 120 university students (44 men and 76 woman) whit ages between 18 and 28 years. BMI was calculated, and The Multidimensional Body Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), the “Body Dissatisfaction” sub-scale of the Eating Disorders Inventory in version 2 (EDI-2), and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied. 17.5% (n = 21) of the sample overestimated their nutritional status. Of these, 90.5% (n = 19) were women. BMI was directly and significantly associated with body image dissatisfaction (r = .45; p < .001). The overestimation of nutritional status is significantly associated with concern about weight (p < .05) and dissatisfaction with body image (p = .001). Overestimation of nutritional status is associated with greater dissatisfac- tion with body image and less positive evaluation of appearance. This could trigger problematic eating behaviors, and eating disorders, which would make it possible to avoid making oneself so distant from the cultural esthetic ideal.