The relationship between physical activity and body dissatisfaction is little explored in literature. It was examined the body dissatisfaction and physical activity relationship among adolescents students of public schools from Florianópolis, Brazil. The sample was composed by 242 students, 109 boys (14,6±2,8 years) and 138 girls (14,3±3 years). The instruments used were a habitual physical activities questionnaire and a body silhouette's scale. Forty three per cent of girls and 29,4% of boys are insufficiently active. Sixty nine per cent of the boys and 76,7% of the girls are unsatisfied with their body silhouette. Boys demonstrate a tendency of both increase and decrease their body silhouette, while girls demonstrate a tendency to decrease their body silhouette. No association was found between satisfaction with body silhoutte and habitual physical activity status. To investigate the relationship between physical activity and body dissatisfaction can be useful for future research that could be verified in the therapeutical interventions with physical activity for the body dissatisfaction treatment.
body dissatisfaction; physical activity; adolescents; body silhouette
