The Relationship between Body Mass Index and Mental Image of the Body with Mental Health in Adolescent Girls

Body image is a complex concept that includes biological, psychological, internal and external social factors and has a great impact on adolescentschr('39') mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index and body image with mental health in adolescent girls.

The present study is a descriptive-correlational study in which 152 people were selected as a cluster sample from among the first secondary school girls in Mazandaran province (Iran). These individuals filled demographic and demographic information, mental body image and general health questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression.

There is no significant relationship between body mass index and mental health. There was also no significant relationship between weight attitude and mental health. But there is a significant inverse relationship between the satisfaction score of different parts of the body (BASS) and the total score of general health and all its dimensions. The results of regression analysis also showed that the dimensions of the mental image of the body explain about 20% of the variance of general health.

The only factors affecting body image among the studied factors are body mass index and the amount of physical activity. The higher the body mass index, the more undesirable the mental image, and the more physical activity, the more desirable the mental image. Therefore, adding sports facilities in educational environments can improve the mental image of the body.