Association of Visceral Fat Obesity with Body Image Dissatisfaction among Women

The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction has significantly increased in the last years, and most previous studies have focused on the body mass index. The present study aimed to examine the association between body image and body composition among women.  This cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 women attending a nutrition clinic in Ardabil during 2019. Data were collected using the multidimensional body self-relations questionnaire, anthropometric measurement, and body composition analysis. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 21.0) through a two-tailed test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.  Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive association of body composition with the subjective weight and overweight preoccupation subscales. The highest association of subjective weight subscale was found with body fat percentage followed by visceral fat level and trunk fat mass. Moreover, the highest association of overweight preoccupation subscale was with body fat percentage and visceral fat level followed by visceral fat area and trunk fat mass. The correlation between body composition components and the subjective weight subscale was stronger than that between body composition components and the overweight preoccupation subscale.  Body image dissatisfaction was associated with body fat percentage, trunk fat mass, and visceral fat obesity among women attending a nutrition clinic. These results indicate the need for interventions designed to improve body composition, and consequently, body image dissatisfaction.