Food consumption and body image in sports of the municipality of Pelotas-RS

Abstract

Introduction and objective: It grows in the search for a perfect body, and with this appear restrictive diets with nutritional inadequacies, in addition to the excessive practice of physical activities. The sportsmen are more prone to the development of eating disorders, since the majority uses indiscriminate food supplementation, has an inadequate food consumption and has alteration of body perception. This study aimed to verify the food consumption and body perception of sportsmen from the municipality of Pelotas-RS. Materials and Methods: A Sectional descriptive study with athletes, who answered questionnaires in bodily form, frequency of food, feeding behavior and perception of body image, in addition to the measurement of anthropometric measures. Statistical analyzes were performed in Stata®, with a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Pelotas, under opinion nº 84303618.7.0000.5316. Results: Of the 139 athletes, the majority (65.47%) is female, aged between 18 to 59 years and eutrophic (57.55%). Of sample (33.81%) uses a dietary supplement. The food frequency questionnaire showed low consumption of industrialized foods, sugar, fat, dairy products, beans, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Approximately 20.14% has distorted the perception of body image and 30.22% pathologic alterations. Discussion and Conclusion: Sportspeople consume food supplements without guidance, have inadequate dietary habits and a greater predisposition to the development of eating disorders. It is crucial for the presence of the nutritionist in the Academies, spreading knowledge about food choices, and acting in the assessment of body composition of sportsmen