Body self-esteem, physical self-concept, and eating disorders in university students: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: currently, the university stage represents a period in which students undergo significant personal, social, and emotional transformations. In this context, concerns related to body esteem, physical self-concept, and eating disorders often arise. Objective: to determine whether there is a significant relationship between body esteem, physical self-concept, and eating disorders in university students from the south of Peru. Methodology: a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 474 students who were administered the Body Esteem Scale (BES), the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSQ), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), all of which have adequate metric properties. Results: a high positive correlation was found between body esteem and physical self-concept (r= 0.707, p<0.01), indicating that students with higher body esteem tend to perceive a better physical self-concept. Furthermore, both body esteem (r= -0.277, p<0.01) and physical self-concept (r= -0.218, p<0.01) showed significant negative correlations with eating disorders, suggesting that lower levels of body esteem and physical self-concept are associated with higher levels of these disorders. Discussion: although some studies support these findings, further research is needed to confirm and expand upon these results. Conclusions: there is a significant relationship between body esteem, physical self-concept, and eating disorders in university students from the south of Peru.