Body image dissatisfaction and related factors among Brazilian adolescents: a network perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/vk9b8085Keywords:
body image, physical activity, health behaviors, adolescenceAbstract
Adolescence is marked by psychological and social changes that increase vulnerability to body image dissatisfaction. Within this multifactorial context, network analysis helps clarify the network structure underlying body image dissatisfaction. This study characterized the network structure of body image dissatisfaction, represented by the desire for a smaller or larger body size, together with health-related factors and sociodemographic characteristics among Brazilian adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 200 adolescents (16.6 ± 1.2 years) from a federal public school in Paraíba, Brazil. Body image perception was assessed using the Kakeshita silhouette scale. Sociodemographic (age, sex, skin color/race, socioeconomic status) and health-related factors (compliance with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] guidelines, resistance training, smartphone screen time, current alcohol use, and excess weight) were included. Two separate networks were estimated to represent the desire for a smaller and a larger body size. Overall, 43.5% of adolescents reported a desire for a smaller body size and 39.5% for a larger body size. In the smaller body size network, smaller body size desire (1.376), resistance training (1.194), and MVPA guidelines (1.067) exhibited the highest expected influence values. In the larger body size network, MVPA guidelines (2.111) and resistance training (0.916) emerged as the most influential nodes. Across both networks, MVPA-related behaviors occupied structurally central positions, while sex showed elevated structural connectivity. Body image dissatisfaction was embedded within complex network structures, highlighting the structural relevance of active health-related behaviors during adolescence.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Kassio Formiga da Cruz, Andressa de Oliveira Araújo, Ana Clara Cassimiro Nunes, José Silvestre Martins da Silva, Samuel Lira da Silva Barbosa, Lucas Vital Dantas, João Paulo Rodrigues dos Santos, Gislane Ferraira de Melo, Vagner Deuel de Oliveira Tavares, Rodrigo Alberto Vieira Browne (Autor/a)
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