OBJECTIVE: To conduct a survey of how body self-image is addressed in different publications in the field of health. METHODS: We selected leading journals in the areas of health care for the period 2007-2012. The selection of journals was based on the highest rating by Qualis Capes. The research was performed online; the SciELO website together with SciELO query online copies was the only source consulted, because this provides all regular full research articles. The study technique included collecting and analyzing data followed by development of a framework containing journal name, year of publication, terms associated with body self-image, the same definitions and applications of these in the article, search type, and correlation topic researched communication. RESULTS: We found a total of 22 articles mentioning the topic searched. Nursing, Psychology, and Psychiatry journals each mentioned 5 terms (23.9%) associated with body self-image, the Nutrition journal 4 (19.1%), and the Speech journal 2 (9.5%). These instances did not reflect the number of articles and were not necessarily related to one study. A great number of articles mentioning the term self-image/body image correlated them to eating disorders. Four articles revealed associations among the terms self-image, body image perception, and communication. CONCLUSION: In general, there are different discussions regarding the term body self-image in each area. It is noteworthy that the number of studies on the subject has reduced.