{"title":"The Effects of Comparisons of Physical Appearance on Social Media and Social Approval on Eating Attitudes.","authors":"Bahar Kefeli Col, Ayse Gumusler Basaran, Tugba Birben Kurt, Burcu Genc Kose","doi":"10.2147/RMHP.S517472","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of comparisons of physical appearance on social media and social approval on eating attitudes among university students.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The social media physical appearance comparison scale measured individuals' tendencies to compare their physical appearance with that of others, and the need for social consent scale determined the need for social consent. Ethics committee approval was received for this research. The research sample consisted of 371 students enrolled in a university.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the sample, 80.3% of the participating students were female, and 23.7% were overweight/obese. Eating disorders were detected in 11.6% of the students. The findings of this study show that eating attitudes in university students are affected by comparisons of appearances on social media and the need for social approval. It was determined that there was a positive relationship between eating attitudes and comparisons of physical appearance on social media, and as these comparisons increased, eating disorders also increased. It was determined that there was a positive relationship between eating attitudes and the need for social approval, and as the need for social approval increased, eating disorders also increased.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Research findings can contribute to designing interventions to improve eating attitudes, the need for social consent and media literacy among students. In line with these findings, media literacy training, activities that promote positive body perception, and programs that encourage conscious consumption of content on social media can be developed. Such interventions help young people develop positive eating attitudes and become more resilient against the adverse effects of digital media and their social environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":56009,"journal":{"name":"Risk Management and Healthcare Policy","volume":"18 ","pages":"2091-2105"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12206431/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Risk Management and Healthcare Policy","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S517472","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of comparisons of physical appearance on social media and social approval on eating attitudes among university students.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The social media physical appearance comparison scale measured individuals' tendencies to compare their physical appearance with that of others, and the need for social consent scale determined the need for social consent. Ethics committee approval was received for this research. The research sample consisted of 371 students enrolled in a university.
Results: In the sample, 80.3% of the participating students were female, and 23.7% were overweight/obese. Eating disorders were detected in 11.6% of the students. The findings of this study show that eating attitudes in university students are affected by comparisons of appearances on social media and the need for social approval. It was determined that there was a positive relationship between eating attitudes and comparisons of physical appearance on social media, and as these comparisons increased, eating disorders also increased. It was determined that there was a positive relationship between eating attitudes and the need for social approval, and as the need for social approval increased, eating disorders also increased.
Conclusion: Research findings can contribute to designing interventions to improve eating attitudes, the need for social consent and media literacy among students. In line with these findings, media literacy training, activities that promote positive body perception, and programs that encourage conscious consumption of content on social media can be developed. Such interventions help young people develop positive eating attitudes and become more resilient against the adverse effects of digital media and their social environment.
期刊介绍:
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on all aspects of public health, policy and preventative measures to promote good health and improve morbidity and mortality in the population. Specific topics covered in the journal include:
Public and community health
Policy and law
Preventative and predictive healthcare
Risk and hazard management
Epidemiology, detection and screening
Lifestyle and diet modification
Vaccination and disease transmission/modification programs
Health and safety and occupational health
Healthcare services provision
Health literacy and education
Advertising and promotion of health issues
Health economic evaluations and resource management
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy focuses on human interventional and observational research. The journal welcomes submitted papers covering original research, clinical and epidemiological studies, reviews and evaluations, guidelines, expert opinion and commentary, and extended reports. Case reports will only be considered if they make a valuable and original contribution to the literature. The journal does not accept study protocols, animal-based or cell line-based studies.