Among vulnerabilities and adversities: factors associated with body dis(satisfaction) in early adolescents from peripheral communities

• Grant number: 24/15093-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Cristiane da Silva Cabral
• Grantee: Nicolas Kimura Generoso
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Few experiences characterize the transition to adolescence as profoundly as the onset of puberty, a phenomenon that brings about substantial transformations in body image. In their multiple dimensions, these metamorphoses, intrinsically linked to the pubertal process are accompanied by the assimilation and internalization of current standards and norms of body, gender and sexuality, disseminated through various channels, such as family, peers and the media. These transformations have been repeatedly identified as influencing body satisfaction. It is therefore not surprising that concern about body image has become a central issue, especially among early adolescents, aged 10 to 14, a period in which these changes occur particularly prominently. In peripheral regions and in the contemporary socio-cultural context, these young people find themselves immersed in a scenario of vulnerabilities and adversities, which accentuates the need to understand how they construct their relationship with their bodies in these circumstances. This quantitative cross-sectional study is part of the multi-country consortium of the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) in Brazil. Empirical data produced in 2021 will be statistically analyzed (FAPESP - process n. 2017/23177-4), covering a sample of 974 cisgender adolescents, aged between 10 and 14, living in a peripheral region of the city of São Paulo. Multiple regression models, depending on the characteristics of the data, will be used to assess the association between individual characteristics of young people, family, social and school contexts, exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), access to and use of media and changes and perceptions about the body, with an index that measures body satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Final adjusted models will incorporate predictors with p ¿ 0.10 in the univariate analysis; significant associations should reflect p < 0.05. All analysis will be conducted in RStudio statistical software. The aim is to provide a holistic understanding of this phenomenon, which still lacks evidence in the national literature.