Aesthetic Conflict and Eating Behaviour in Adolescent Girls of Urban SlumA Community Based Mixed Method Design
Introduction: Body image is correlated to self-esteem and eating behaviour and is often skewed in adolescence. The social pressure to be thin and the stigma of obesity lead to unhealthy eating practices. Dieting could be a corollary to body dissatisfaction reflecting skewed perception. Aim: To...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/14816/48131_CE[Ra]_F(Sh)_PF1(AG_SL)_PFA(KM)_PB(AG_KM)_PN(KM).pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: Body image is correlated to self-esteem and
eating behaviour and is often skewed in adolescence. The
social pressure to be thin and the stigma of obesity lead to
unhealthy eating practices. Dieting could be a corollary to body
dissatisfaction reflecting skewed perception.
Aim: To study the perception of body image among the
adolescent girls of the study area and to explore if it affected
their eating behaviour.
Materials and Methods: An explanatory mixed method
design (Quantitative Descriptive - Qualitative) was conducted
in a sample of 250 adolescent girls after obtaining ethical
clearance. The adolescents’ ‘Self perceptions of body shape’
(compared with their actual body weight, Body Mass Index
(BMI), World Health Organisation (WHO) Asian standards), their
‘perceptions of a healthy body shape’ and their practices were
collected quantitatively. Qualitative exploration {Focus Group
Discussions (FGD)} of their beliefs and practices pertaining to
their perceptions of body image were summarised and the data
was analysed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
(SPSS) (version 13.0) and N Vivo 8 (Demo version).
Results: The ‘self-perception of body shape’ in adolescent
girls was compared with their BMI. Of those who felt that
they were normal, 57.3% were underweight (BMI ≤18.5) and
among those who perceived their self-image as fat, about
29.4% were normal and even about 33.3% were underweight
(kappa 0.116, p<0.001). About 7% of the adolescent girls did
dieting for maintaining body shape. The respondent’s various
perspectives of a fatty body shape were related to dietary
factors and few beliefs predominant in their community. Those
who were ‘very thin’ wanted to be ‘normal’ but never ‘fat’ at any
cost (Qualitative). Additionally, those who perceived themselves
as ‘thin’ did not diet. For those who were on diet, being ‘thin’
was considered healthy (91%) but for none (0%), being ‘fat’
was healthy.
Conclusion: Body image dissatisfaction and negative selfperception is observed in adolescent girls and impacts their
eating behaviour. They should be positively counselled and their
food habits must be shaped with sustained motivation as these
tend to persist till adulthood. |
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| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |