Abstract

Appearance is an element of self-identity and is displayed through the body. The body is not only a biological construction, but also sociocultural, which is incessantly judged. The source of these evaluations can be either the person oneself or his/her surroundings. Often dissatisfaction with one’s appearance is not only lack of acceptance of a body defect, but can be a signal of an eating disorder, especially anorexia nervosa.

Aim: Evaluation of self-perception and self-forming body image as a risk factorr of anorexia nervosa among students of medicine.
Material and method: Using author’s own questionnaire, built up of 34 questions 137 students of medicine were studied.They were aged 22-23 years. Among them 98 were women and 39 men. Average BMI for all students was 21.8.

Results: Inability to achive a wanted appearance statistically more often causes women’s discomfort. Women statistically more often compare themselves to others. Men are more content with their appearance, but more often than women are afraid of putting on weight. Over 33% of those studied weighed themselves a few times per week, 11% were dieting, 20% ate mainly fruits and vegetables and 13% declared that they often drank liquids instead of eating.

Conclusions: Women are more often than men dissastisfied with their appearance. Men are more often than women afraid of putting on weight and simultaneously are more often happy than women when they loose weight even about 1 kg. Students of medicine, regardless of sex, are at a risk of anorexia nervosa group.

Adres: dr n. hum. Urszula Marcinkowska
Katedra i Zakład Medycyny i Epidemiologii Środowiskowej ŚlUM
41-808 Zabrze- Rokitnica, ul. Jordana 19,
tel. 272 28 47,
e-mail: umarcinkowska@interia.pl