[Factors associated with body image in people with spinal cord injury]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) represents a significant public health concern due to its substantial impact on functioning, independence, and quality of life. It can also significantly affect body image (BI), leading to complex emotional responses and alterations in body perception. The aim of this paper was to establish the factors associated to BI in people with SCI in Boyacá (Colombia).

The type of design was cross-sectional in a sample of eighty-seven subjects; for body image, the BI for Physically Disabled Persons (PICDF) instrument was used. The statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's Chi² test in the bivariate case and the multivariate with the Negative Binomial Regression with the method introduced taking into account the theoretically and statistically significant variables.

The average age was 47.7±14.4 years, with a predominance of males, the overall BI was good with 83.9% with 95% CI (76.19- 91.63). A lower socioeconomic status of 0.196 (RP) was identified as a protective factor, while risk factors for BI included having companionship of RP=3.385, being under the subsidized regime of RP=4.831, and having a poor quality of life of RP=4.848.

BI is an aspect composed of different factors, which in people with SCI are associated with different social and clinical conditions that come to affect it.