Studies in Western countries have shown that body dissatisfaction among adolescents is associated with lower self-esteem, lower levels of exercise, eating disorders (Neumark–Sztainer et al., 2006), and poorer perception of health (Meland, Hougland, Breidablik, 2007). There is a lack of studies in this field in our country and it is unknown whether body dissatisfaction is related to poorer adolescent health assessment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the links between adolescents’ body dissatisfaction and their self-esteem, health perception, physical activity, and eating disorder risk. Methods. The survey was carried out by distributing a written questionnaire to juniors (11th graders) from various secondary schools (n=10) and gymnasiums (n=6) in Kaunas in 2009. The sample of respondents was composed of 805 adolescents. The average respondents’ age (SD) was 17.23 (0.6). 329 (40.9 %) respondents were males and 476 - females (59.1 %). Tools. Body dissatisfaction was determined by the question “Are you essentially satisfied with your body?” Perception of health was determined by the question “How would you evaluate your health?” This question is used in the International Study of Health and Well-being among School-Aged Children, coordinated by WHO (Currie et al., 2002; Zaborskis, Vareikienė, 2008). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1989) was employed as well. The risk of developing an eating disorder was determined with the Eating Attitudes Test EAT-26 (Garner et al., 1982). Physical activity (PA) was determined by questions from the International Study of Health and Well-being among School-Aged Children, coordinated by WHO (HBSC - Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated according to the weight and age indicated by the respondents. Results. The results demonstrated that 141 (17.4 %) adolescents of the sample were dissatisfied with their bodies. The male respondents dissatisfied with their bodies also revealed a higher risk for developing eating disorders, respectively scoring 14.17 and 4.53 points (U=3155; p=0.001). The female respondents who were dissatisfied with their bodies and who displayed a significantly higher risk of developing eating disorders, respectively scoring 15.23 and 6.93 points (U=9764; p=0.001), had much higher body mass indexes, respectively scoring 21.89 and 19.77 points (U=10734; p=0.001). A correlation analysis of male and female groups revealed that body dissatisfaction was negatively linked to physical activity, self-esteem, and health perception. A logistic regression analysis revealed that dissatisfaction with one’s body and the risk of developing an eating disorder were statistically significant in predicting low health perception scores. Dissatisfaction with one’s body increased poor evaluations of health by a factor of 1.5. Model χ² = 8.76; df= 8; p = 0.36 (Nagerkelke R² = 0.12). Conclusions. Thus, when implementing the general health education program in schools, it is necessary to incorporate activities that would promote critical thinking in adolescents, their self-esteem and their ability to resist negative pressure imposed by media to conform to the body image perpetuated by society
