Abstract

Objective: With the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, there is a growing interest in understanding how the ideal body image influence children’s self-perception and whether this may potentially lead to various psychological problems. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between body image, self-esteem, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in primary school children, to identify individuals at risk at an early stage.

Material and Methods: The study sample consisted of 342 primary school children aged 6-12 years. The Sociodemographic Information, Children’s Body Image Scale (CBIS) and Children’s Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (CRSS) were used to gather data. Body weight and height were measured, and BMI was calculated. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, Spearman correlation, and multiple linear regression tests.

Results: BMI was moderately associated with perceived body image (r = 0.428; p < 0.001) and body dissatisfaction (r = 0.422; p < 0.001) but showed minimal correlation with self-esteem and age (CRSS: r = 0.011, p > 0.05; NSE: r = 0.002, p > 0.05; PSE: r = 0.014, p > 0.05; Age: r = 0.032, p > 0.05), while self-esteem measures did not significantly differ by body satisfaction status (CRSS: H = 0.599, p = 0.741; NSE: H = 0.293, p = 0.864; PSE: H = 0.950, p = 0.622). Regression analysis identified BMI (B = 0.094; 95% CI: 0.071–0.116; β = 0.411; p < 0.001) as the strongest predictor of body dissatisfaction, followed by age (B = 0.078; 95% CI: 0.006–0.150; β = 0.106; p = 0.035), whereas other sociodemographic and psychological variables, including gender (B = 0.199; p = 0.122) and self-esteem (NSE: B = −0.022, p = 0.368; PSE: B = 0.023, p = 0.469), did not significantly predict dissatisfaction levels.

Conclusion: BMI has a significant influence on body image perception in primary school-aged children, whereas self-esteem appears to be less affected by body satisfaction at this developmental stage. These results highlight the need for early, gender-sensitive, and family-centered interventions to promote healthy body image.

 

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Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Tatar T. The relationship between body image, self-esteem, and body mass index in primary school children. Turk J Pediatr Dis. 2025;Early View:1-8. https://doi.org/10.12956/TJPD.2025.1127