Gender, BMI, and Body Image: Associations with Eating Disorders in Post- Pandemic Adolescents

Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between body image and eating disorders in adolescents at the Andrés Avelino Cáceres Educational Institution in Chincha following the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional, and prospective study was conducted among 639 students aged 12–17 years. Data were collected using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic and anthropometric variables, the silhouette test to assess body image perception, and the SCOFF questionnaire to screen for suspected eating disorders. Most participants had a normal Body Mass Index (BMI = 20–25 kg/m²), therefore after an histogram the “normal” band 23.0-24.5 was used. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v26.0 and Python (statsmodels), employing frequencies, percentages, medians, standard deviations, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results: The mean age was 14 ± 2.8 years, with 61.7% (n = 394) female participants. The average weight was 53 ± 0.788 kg, and the mean height was 1.60 ± 0.061 m. Body dissatisfaction (X² = 3.651, p = 0.028), poor body image perception (X² = 79.86, p < 0.0000001), and poor body image subjectivity (X² = 27.28, p < 0.0000001) were significantly associated with eating disorders. Level of Evidence Level III Observational analytic study (crosssectional).