BackgroundBody weight concerns are common among individuals with eating disorders, and this construct can be assessed using psychometric instruments. The Weight Concerns Scale (WCS) is commonly used to assess body weight concerns.AimsTo evaluate the psychometric properties of the WCS with Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican female college students; to estimate body weight concerns; and to identify factors related to eating disorders.MethodsConfirmatory factor analysis was performed. Factorial, convergent, concurrent, and divergent validity, as well as reliability, were assessed. Cross-national invariance was tested by means of multigroup analysis. Structural models were tested using the WCS as the dependent variable, while demographic and academic variables and body mass index were used as independent variables. Logistic models were tested to estimate the likelihood of eating disorders being developed in specific groups.ResultsParticipants were 2,068 female students. The psychometric properties of the WCS were adequate for the Portuguese sample; however, for the Brazilian and Mozambican samples, it was necessary to correlate the errors of two items to improve model fit. The WCS did not show cross-national invariance. The variables “thoughts about dropping out of college,” “medication use because of studies,” “medication and supplements use for body change,” “body mass index,” “socioeconomic status,” “age,” and “performance in course” were significant predictors of body weight concerns. Overall, 24.4% (95% confidence interval = 22.9–26.7) of the students were likely to develop eating disorders. Students under 21 years old, who use medication and supplements for body change, and who were classified as overweight/obese have increased likelihood of developing eating disorders.ConclusionThe WCS showed good psychometric properties with Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican students; however, it did not show cross-national invariance. We identified important aspects for investigating body weight concerns and factors related to eating disorders.

O puerpério é um importante período para o desenvolvimento de ações pela equipe de saúde em busca de ampliar situações saudáveis para a mulher e seu filho. Nesse âmbito, o enfermeiro se destaca no cuidado à mulher na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar o papel do enfermeiro na visita domiciliar puerperal. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória descritiva, realizada em município polo da região norte do estado do Ceará, no ano de 2016, com 10 puérperas, por meio de entrevista semiestruturada individual. A análise temática otimizou o tratamento das informações, potencializada pela hermenêutica dialética. Foram construídas três categorias temáticas: prioridade para amamentação na visita domiciliar; vinculação entre o enfermeiro e a puérpera; o enfermeiro deve ampliar sua atuação na visita domiciliar puerperal. Considera-se, a partir dos resultados encontrados, que o domicílio é um espaço potente para a ampliação do papel do enfermeiro na atenção obstétrica, porém, a atuação deve ser norteada a partir da perspectiva da usuária e seus familiares.

To identify the prevalence of distortion and dissatisfaction with the body size of Brazilian university students, and establish their relationship with the demographic and academic characteristics and the anthropometric nutritional status. The sample consisted of students from a public university in the state of São Paulo. The Figure Rating Scale (FRS) for Brazilian adults was used as an instrument. The participants selected the figure that corresponded to the current body and another one for the desired body. The prevalence of distortion and dissatisfaction with body size was calculated with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The association between the variables was evaluated by the Chi-Square Test (χ 2). The significance level of 5% was adopted. A total of 356 students (women=71.63%) with a mean age of 20.95 (SD=2.55) years participated. The prevalence of distortion and dissatisfaction with body size was 73.03% (95% CI=68.23-77.83) and 79.49% (95% CI=75.3-83.68), respectively. There was a high prevalence of distortion with body size among individuals with low weight (χ 2 =9.523, p=0.009). Students who distorted the body size (52.31% [95% CI=47.12-57.50]) underestimated their body size. The type of distortion was related to sex (χ 2 =26.35, p<0.001), physical activity (χ 2 =4.51, p=0.034), use of supplements (χ 2 =4.62, p=0.032), and the anthropometric nutritional status (χ 2 =9.05, p=0.011). Students dissatisfied with the body (58.66% [95% CI=52.92-64.40]) wished to reduce the body size. The type of dissatisfaction was related to sex (χ 2 =5.79, p=0.016) and anthropometric nutritional status (χ 2 =89.83, p<0.001). The prevalence of body size underestimation was higher among men, students who practice physical activity, subjects using dietary supplements and underweight individuals. The wish to decrease body size was higher among women and overweight/obese individuals.

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