" Am I really fat/thin?!" Self-perceived body image and correlation with nutritional status among medical students in Central Gujarat

Introduction: Adolescence is a crucial part of life characterised by rapid body changes that can be influenced by perceptions and misinformation regarding their body image. Body image is usually associated with self-esteem and self-worth. Therefore, it is important to address this issue at this transitional time. This study aims to understand the perception of body image and its correlation with nutritional status among first-year medical students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year medical students enrolled in the MBBS curriculum. Data related to perception of body image were collected through a self-administered, pre-tested questionnaire. Height and weight were taken by the principal investigator at the time of data collection and body mass index (BMI) was calculated according to Asian criteria for BMI. Kappa statistics were used for the agreement between self-perceived body image and BMI.

Results: A total of 234 out of the 250 students enrolled in the first year gave consent for the study. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of the students was 18 (17-19) years and 72% were male students. One-fourth of the students were dissatisfied with their weight (26.9%) followed by height (25%). The Kappa statistics for agreement between BMI and self-perception about body weight was 0.373 (95% confidence interval [CI], standard error (SE) of Kappa = 0.048), showing poor agreement.

Conclusion: One-fourth of the students were dissatisfied with their physical appearance. The agreement between perceived body weight and nutritional status was poor (64.53%).