Association Between Exposure to Media and Body Weight Concern Among Female University Students in Five Arab Countries: A Preliminary Cross-Cultural Study

Abstract

Mass media play an important role in changing body image. This study aimed to determine the role of media (magazines and television) in body weight concern among university females in five Arab countries. A total sample of 1134 female university students was selected at convenience from universities in five Arab countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman and Syria. The females' ages ranged from 17 to 32. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess the exposure to mass media regarding weight concerns. For the variables on exposure to mass media, girls were divided into two groups: infrequently exposed and frequently exposed. In general, the females who were exposed to mass media had a greater risk of having dieted to lose weight and changing their ideas of a perfect body shape than those who were not exposed or infrequently exposed. The association of exposure to magazines with having dieted to lose weight was only significant among females in Bahrain (p<0.044), Egypt (p<0.001) and Jordan (p<0.001). Exposure to television had a weaker association than exposure to magazines with body weight concerns of females. The association of exposure to television with females' idea of a perfect body shape was only statistically significant in females in Egypt (p<0.019) and Oman (p<0.019). The pressure from mass media on the body weight concern of female university students may lead these women to practise unhealthy weight control diets.

Association between mass media and body weight concern among Jordanian adolescents’ residents of Amman: the role of gender and obesity

“…Being obese from dieting to lose weight due to the high influence of reading magazines increased the risk for obesity twice as compared to no influence of reading magazines in general and specifically among girls. These results are in agreement with [29] who studied the association between exposure to media and body weight concern among girl university students in five Arab countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman and Syria) using cross-cultural design [29]. They demonstrated that the association of exposure to magazines with having diets to lose weight was only significant among girls in Jordan (p \ 0.001).…”

“…They demonstrated that the association of exposure to magazines with having diets to lose weight was only significant among girls in Jordan (p \ 0.001). Exposure to magazines had a stronger association with body weight concerns of girls than exposure to television [29].…”

“…In Jordan, the pressure from mass media on the body weight concern of young girls has been studied [28,29]. However, these studies have focused on adults.…”

Satisfação com a imagem corporal em acadêmicos ingressantes em cursos de Educação Física

“…Preocupa-se com a obsessão feminina pela magreza, pois se trata de um padrão nem sempre possível de ser atingido por todas as pessoas, até mesmo por aquelas que incitam esse desejo nas demais, como modelos que apresentam, nos meios midiáticos, formas corporais perfeitas, porém manipuladas e artificiais (ALVES et al, 2009). Na tentativa de obter um corpo de "capa de revista", que, na verdade, é muito mais fictício do que real, as mulheres podem recorrer a métodos inadequados e assumir comportamentos não saudáveis (NEUMARK-SZTAINER et al, 2006) o que pode acarretar em inúmeros prejuízos à saúde física e mental.…”

Risk of disordered eating attitudes among male adolescents in five Emirates of the United Arab Emirates

“…Such changes have contributed to an increased occurrence of obesity, which in turn is associated with a higher prevalence of eating disorders . Westernization, especially Westernized media that promote thinness as a sign of health, has influenced teens and young people to become more concerned about their weight and body shape …”