Body image disturbance and eating disorders among the young population are increasing.

The aim of our study was to investigate the perception of body image and its relationship with eating disorders among tunisian medical students.

METHODS :

A total of 100 Tunisian medical students were interviewed using :

• - a self-administered questionnaire which explores clinical data,

• - a scale of screening of eating disorders : Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26).

• - the Stunkard’s figure rating scale (FRS) which consists of 9 silhouette figures. The difference between ideal body and perceived body can be interpreted as a measure of body image satisfaction.

The mean age of the sample was 24.12 years, 71% were female and 29% male.

The average body mass index (BMI) was 22.72 kg/m2.

Students have normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9) in 62 % of cases.

Sixty six percent of students who were ‘‘normal weight’’ were not satisfied of their body image and thirty eight percent of them showed a desire for thinness.

Seventy-three of students had a body image dissatisfaction. A BMI outside normal parameters influenced significantly the perception of body image (p=0.048).

Nineteen percent of students had eating disorders. These students had an abnormal BMI (p=0.047) and a body image dissatisfaction (p=0.018).

CONCLUSION :

Our study shows that the physical aspect of the students has a significant effect on their feeding behavior, it is thus essential to sensitize their circle of acquaintances to favor a healthy perception of body image.