Body Image Dissatisfaction among Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Objectives To determine risk factors for body image dissatisfaction among pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Study design We performed a cross-sectional study of children aged 9-18 years in the IBD Partners Kids & Teens cohort. Participants completed surveys including demographics, disease characteristics and activity indices, and psychosocial outcomes measured by IMPACT-III questionnaires. We defined body image dissatisfaction if participants answered “I look awful” or “I look bad.” Bivariate analyses assessed associations between body image dissatisfaction and demographic, disease-related and psychosocial factors; logistic regression models evaluated associations between risk factors and body image dissatisfaction. Results IMPACT-III was completed by 664 patients, with 74 (11.1%) reporting body image dissatisfaction. Patients with body image dissatisfaction were more likely to be female (P  Conclusions In this cohort, risk factors for body image dissatisfaction include female sex, older age at diagnosis, active disease, current steroid use, greater body mass index, and comorbid mood disorder. Interventions targeting modifiable risk factors for body image dissatisfaction may improve quality of life in pediatric patients with body image dissatisfaction.