The Effects of Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Eating Attitudes on Dieting Behavior in Nursing Students Based on BMI

Abstract

Objectives This research aimed to investigate the extent of dieting behaviors among nursing students and to ex-amine the impact of body image, self-esteem, and eating attitudes on dieting behaviors based on BMI. Methods The study included 135 nursing students located in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon. Data collection was conducted from October 17th to November 3rd, 2023. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS WIN/29.0 and included the calculation of means, standard deviations, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results The research results revealed that the average dieting behavior score of nursing students was 2.70. Depending on their body mass index (BMI), the scores were 2.00, 2.79, 2.59, and 3.67, respectively. When ana-lyzing the relationship between nursing students' body image, self-esteem, eating attitudes, and dieting behav-ior, significant positive correlations were found with the subjects' gender, BMI, body image, and self-esteem. The factors influencing nursing students' dieting behaviors were identified as gender, BMI, body image, and self-es-teem, with an explanatory power of 14.6%. Conclusions Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested to develop individualized diet behavior inter-ventions to promote positive eating attitudes and self-esteem among nursing students based on their BMI. Subsequent research should focus on evaluating these interventions.