Body image of Spanish children and adolescents. Differences by diet and physical activity

Objectives: The aim was to study the body image of Spanish children and adolescents, and the differences in body image according to the quality of diet and the physical activity performed by school children. Methods: A total of 1450 Spanish school children participated (719 boys and 727 girls), between 3 and 18 years of age (11.7 ± 2.5). The body image was measured with the Stunkard silhouettes. The quality of the diet was evaluated using the KIDMED questionnaire. Physical activity was assessed using the PACE questionnaire. Findings: Subjects who did enough physical activity and had a better quality diet had a better body image than those who did not perform physical activity and needed to improve their diet. These differences were significant (p<0.05) by level of physical activity, but not by quality of the diet. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the quality of the diet and a regular practice of physical activity could be determining factors of body image. It is recommended to carry out intervention programs to improve diet and physical activity and, in consequence, ameliorate the body image of Spanish children and adolescents.