The Relationship between Taking Health Courses and Body Image Dissatisfaction in Young Medical Students

Abstract

Background: Body image (BI) is a set of characteristics inclusive of a person's behaviours, perceptions, feelings and ideas about the shape and size of their body, which has a significant effect on mental, emotional, and physical health and the quality of life. This study sought to ascertain the relationship between health students' body image dissatisfaction (BID) and nutrition course enrollment. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on health major students at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. An interview of the body shape questionnaire-14 version in Arabic was used, and data were analysed using SPSS statistical software. This study included 257 participants. Results: Males (50.9%, only 8.2%) had body image dissatisfaction, 55.6% had normal body mass index (BMI), and around 45.9% spent more than 4 hours on social media, with WhatsApp being used the most (83%). We found one factor significantly affecting our results: BMI, with a P= <.001. We found low levels of body dissatisfaction among participants, no effect by social media use duration, and found that BMI had a significant effect on BID. Conclusion: The findings of this study added to our understanding of the relationship between taking nutrition courses daily (BID) and increasing public awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy weight in order to achieve body shape satisfaction, as doing so helps to prevent future health issues brought on by incorrect beliefs about body shape.