Perception Of Image And Body Composition In Young Athletes In Training

Introduction: regular sports practice optimizes the conditioning factors of body composition (BC) generating greater satisfaction about an individual self-perception. The questions about self-perception that seek to identify how you see and how you feel, are a direct reflection of the interest in make changes, altering the manifestations of mood, where formative sport contributes to self-care through the perceptual, affective, cognitive and behavioral domains towards the body during sports practice. Purpose: to establish the association between self-perception and body composition in young athletes from Cundinamarca, Colombia. Method: correlational study and cross-sectional approach with the participation of 108 young people (65 Female - 43 Male) between 12-17 years old, practicing five sports (3 set, 2 individual) and evaluating body mass index (BMI), perimeters (waist-hip), fatty folds (triceps-subscapular), body image (perceived-ideal: Standard Figural Stimuli silhouette) and body image differential. Results: It was found that the differential BC was negatively correlated with the variables, and and positively just with the ideal BC (p: <0.001), while the ideal BC exclusively with differential BC. BMI correlates only and negatively with differential BC. Fat folds, perimeters and self-perception are positively correlated with each other (p: <0.001) in all associations. 18% of those evaluated are considered overweight. Conclusions: from the evidence, it is suggested that there is a low level of self-perception of body composition in young people in the center of the country, in addition to an increase in the unwanted condition of excess weight in young people during high school. BMI in team sports is not significantly higher (p: 0.1663). It is suggested to increase the time spent on physical-sports activities avoiding sedentary behaviors that affect physical condition and body perception.