Body dissatisfaction and the next generation of female patients of aesthetic medicine in the Valencian community (Spain)

One third of the Western female population feels unsatisfied with their body, or a part of it, at some point of their lives. The motivation that leads many women to undergo cosmetic treatments is the hope of increasing one's body satisfaction as a result of the intervention. For individuals without personality disorders, body image disturbances are conveyed as body dissatisfaction (with general body appearance or subjective unhappiness with some aspect of one's appearance,) and perceptive imprecision (generally overestimation). Adolescents are influenced by media, and by their parents, siblings, and colleagues. 'These help modify one's self-perception, and can cause feelings of sadness, frustration, anxiety and high levels of stress. These feelings increase with time, and become a chronic condition that currently affects a large segment of the adult population. This study uses the data the "DITCA-CV Project" ("Proyecto DITCA-CV" in Spanish), an institutional programme conducted by the General Public Health Office of the Regional Valencian Government, Spain, during the academic years of 2003 to 2009. Out of the initial sample of 121,000 students, our study looks only at the female adolescents of the initial population. We have focused exclusively on the results concerning body dissatisfaction, how this manifests itself in the attitudes towards food and towards one's physical appearance, and the subjective assessments that stem from food and physical appearance.