Influence of the Mass Media and Body Dissatisfaction on the Risk in Adolescents of Developing Eating Disorders

Abstract

Media influence may lead adolescents to internalize patterns of physical beauty, resulting in dissatisfaction with their own bodies when they are unable to match up to these patterns. In the constant search for an ‘ideal body’, adolescents may begin to develop risk behaviors for the development of eating disorders (ED). The object of this study was to analyze the influence of the mass media on body dissatisfaction (BD) and on ED in adolescents, comparing genders. We also analyzed the influence of BD on the risk of developing unsuitable eating behaviors, with risk of ED, comparing genders. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1011 adolescents: 527 girls and 484 boys. The BMI of each adolescent was determined, and the instruments EAT-26, Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3), and body shape questionnaire (BSQ), were applied. For statistical analysis, we used Student’s t-test, the chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation test, the odds ratio, and hierarchical multiple linear regression. The influence of the mass media is associated with a greater probability of adolescents presenting BD. An increase in BD is associated with an increased risk of developing ED in adolescents of both genders but is greater in girls than in boys. Furthermore, the influence of the MM and BMI are predictors of BD in both genders; and BD is a predictor of ED risk in both girls and boys.

Body size dissatisfaction associated with dietary pattern, overweight, and physical activity in adolescents: A cross‐sectional study

“…Body size dissatisfaction in youth was also associated with a cultural context, once the concept of a healthy body image may be affected by the media‐proposed ideal body (Uchôa et al, 2019). Girls reported a greater desire for an extremely thin and slender body (Voelker et al, 2015), as well as a greater desire to reduce body size, than boys (Ben Ayed et al, 2019).…”

The Polish adaptation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance SATAQ 3 Questionnaire

“…Increasingly, research also indicates the developing phenomenon of sexualization in the approach to the body in the population of boys and men . Many well-known scientists have used SATAQ 3 in their own research to measure the level of internalization and pressure of sociocultural norms of body image and physical appearance promoted by mass media (Heinberg et al, 2008;Saunders & Frazier, 2017;Schaefer, Harriger, Heinberg, Soderberg, & Thompson, 2017;Tatangelo, McCabe, Mellor, & Mealey, 2016;Thompson et al, 2004;Uchôa et al, 2019). So far, there is no Polish standardization of a tool for measuring body image and physical appearance standards promoted by mass media.…”

Prevalence of Risk of Eating Disorders and its Association with Obesity and Fitness

“…Women are socialized to be more concerned with appearance [42] and weight-related body parts [43]. In addition, perceived stress seems to affect women more than men, and a relationship between risk of FEDs and stress and anxiety has been studied in college populations [1,38,44], as well as higher rates of dieting, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction are found in this population during the transition to college [45].…”