Dissatisfaction about Body Image During Social Networking among University Students

Abstract

Background:Body image dissatisfaction (BD) is a global problem, particularly among women, leading to health problems such as eating disorders and depression. One of the causes of body image dissatisfaction is exposure to thin ideals media. The emergence of the Internet and social networking sites (SNS) has since indirectly become the source of body image dissatisfaction precipitation, facilitated by social/appearance comparison. Aim: This study explores the association of social networking site (SNS) use and body image dissatisfaction among university students. The association of BMI and gender with body image dissatisfaction among them were also investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the Faculty of Health Sciences students, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Puncak Alam Campus, using quota sampling with the sample size, n=311. Questionnaires containing sections on demographic background, Social Networking Time use Scale (SONTUS) and Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) to measure the duration of SNS use and body image dissatisfaction, respectively, were distributed and among them, 309 were returned completely. Data were analysed using IBM-SPSS Statistic (Version 25). Results: Most of the participants, 144 (47%), were the average SNS users, while only 13 (4%) were extremely high users. There was an association between the duration of SNS use and body image dissatisfaction (p<0.05). Low users of SNS seemed to exhibit lower body image dissatisfaction than average to extremely high SNS users. Females exhibited higher body image dissatisfaction than males (p<0.05), consistent with previous findings. There was a significant association between BMI and body image dissatisfaction (p<0.05). Higher body image dissatisfaction was found among participants with normal BMI. Conclusion: In conclusion, the duration of SNS is average among university students. The longer use of SNS, particularly in photo base activities, was associated with body image dissatisfaction.