Abstract

PEREZ-GIL R, Sara Elena  and  ROMERO J, Gabriela. Women's body image in three rural areas in Mexico: perception and desire. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2010, vol.52, n.2, pp.111-118. ISSN 0036-3634.

OBJECTIVE: To identify how women who live in rural zones perceive their bodies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of women between 15 and 60 years of age from three rural zones in Mexico were interviewed and measured. They were questioned as to their body image. RESULTS: There was a decrease in the normality when comparing body mass index (BMI) and self-perception, an increase in terms of malnutrition when comparing BMI and self-perception, and a decrease in perceived overweight among the groups of women from Oaxaca. A desire for being thin was detected among roughly 50%. CONCLUSION: The issue of body image must be more fully explored in order to incorporate, from another perspective, body issues in food and nutritional studies. Body image is fundamentally a subjective experience and thus must be based on different epistemological and methodological premises.

Keywords : rural women; perception and body image; Mexico.