A Correlational Study to Assess the Relationship Between Eating Pattern and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in a Selected School of Delhi

Introduction: It has been known that gender, self-esteem, body image, and perceived self-worth seem to be related to dietary habits and eating disorders. The study aimed to assess eating pattern and self-esteem of adolescents, determine the correlation between eating pattern and self-esteem among adolescent students and also to find the association between eating pattern and background variables of the participants. The study also sought to determine the association between self-esteem and background variables such as gender and body mass index. Methods: A descriptive correlational design was used to synthesize research findings concerning the relationship between eating pattern and self-esteem of adolescent students. The data was collected from 100 students at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Tughlaqabad, New Delhi. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Results revealed that 47% of the students had unhealthy eating pattern and 53% had healthy eating pattern, while 48% of students had low self-esteem and 52% had high self-esteem. It was also found that there was statistically non-significant relationship between eating pattern and self-esteem, as the r value was lower than the table value of 0.197 at df (98). Further, no significant association was found between eating pattern and selected background variables, and self-esteem and selected background variables. Conclusion: The major conclusions drawn were: Approximately half of the study subjects had unhealthy eating pattern and as well as low self-esteem, there was statistically non-significant correlation between eating pattern and self-esteem, no significant statistical relationship was found between eating pattern of the adolescent students and their gender and BMI, and no significant statistical association was found between self-esteem of the adolescent students and their gender and BMI.