scholarly journals Are body image issues affecting our adolescents? A cross-sectional study among college going adolescent girls

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhashini Ganesan ◽  
SL Ravishankar ◽  
Sudha Ramalingam
Author(s):  
Rasa Jankauskiene ◽  
Migle Baceviciene ◽  
Laima Trinkuniene

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between body appreciation, body functionality and disordered eating in a large adolescent sample of different levels and types of sports practice. Method: The sample consisted of 1412 adolescents (59.8% were girls). The ages ranged from 15 to 18 years old, with a mean age of 16.9 (SD = 0.5) for girls and 17.0 (SD = 0.4) for boys. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing the nature of sports participation, body appreciation, body functionality, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, internalisation of sociocultural beauty ideals and disordered eating. A two-way ANOVA was employed to test the differences in body image concerns, body appreciation, perceived physical fitness and disordered eating behaviours in gender groups and groups of different sport types and levels. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to predict disordered eating behaviours of different study variables. Results: Participants of leisure and competitive sports reported greater body appreciation, self-esteem and lower body dissatisfaction compared to non-participants. No differences in body appreciation and disordered eating were observed in adolescents involved in weight-sensitive and less weight-sensitive sports. Body appreciation and body functionality were associated with lower disordered eating in adolescent girls not participating in sports, leisure exercisers and participants of competitive sport as well as in boys participating in competitive sports, controlling for body mass index. Adolescent boys demonstrated greater body appreciation compared to girls. Conclusions: The results of this study support the knowledge of the protective role of positive body image preventing dysfunctional eating in adolescent girls of various sports practice and in competitive sports involved boys. Disordered eating prevention and clinical treatment programs for adolescents of different physical activity might benefit from including education about body appreciation and functionality.


Author(s):  
Vinay . ◽  
Neelam Kumar ◽  
J. S. Malik ◽  
Aman Sachdeva

Background: Adolescent girls in today’s world are extremely conscious of perceptions of a perfect body. With the growing sense of thin ideal body image during adolescence, they try to lose body weight to attain the perfect body size. The emphasis on thinness and on an ideal female body shape and size is physically and psychologically detrimental to the health of many young women. This study was carried out with objective to find the prevalence of body image issue among adolescent girls in rural area.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in block Lakhanmajra, district Rohtak, Haryana. Adolescent girls in age group 13-19 years studying in class 8 to class 12 in 10 government and private senior secondary schools of Lakhanmajra block were included in the study. The total sample of 500 students was included in the study. A pre-designed pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was used, and the responses were recorded by the investigator herself.Results: The findings of the present study show that 20.2% adolescent girls did not like their appearance when they look in the mirror and thus had body image dissatisfaction. 88.0% adolescent girls were satisfied with their weight and 12.0% were dissatisfied. 80.0% of the study subjects who were dissatisfied with their body weight had normal age specific BMI values. Only 20% of the adolescent girls who were not satisfied with their weight were underweight or overweight.Conclusions: More worries and less satisfaction about body image are found in girls. The relatives, the media, the peers and the community all have an impact on body shape satisfaction. But the greatest influence is that of the media and the community through standardising a thin ideal for female beauty.


Author(s):  
Sambedana Mohanty ◽  
Manasee Panda

AbstractBackgroundAdolescent girls are vulnerable to many problems, undernutrition being the most common. This results in growth restriction resulting in stunting, wasting, underweight and last but not the least iron-deficiency anaemia. Nutritional needs are high during puberty which later leads to complications during pregnancy and its outcomes.Materials and methodsA field based cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the nutritional status of the girls and to determine the various factors responsible for undernutrition. After clearance from the Institution Ethical Committee (IEC) and permission from Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO), the study was conducted in the anganwadi centres (AWC) of urban slums in the field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine from the 1st October 2014 to the 31st October 2016. All the adolescent girls enlisted in the seven anganwadi centres were included as study subjects with their consent. A pre-designed, pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on following sections. (a) socio-demographic profile and (b) nutritional status. Dietary intake was taken using the 24-h recall method. Anthropometry was measured and haemoglobin (Hb) was estimated. SPSS version 21 was used for descriptive and analytic statistics.ResultsAmong the 160 girls 98(61.3%), 69(43.1%), 53(33.1%) were underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. Anaemia was present among 144(90%) of the girls.ConclusionStrict monitoring of weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) as well as nutrition education are essential measures to solve the problem of undernutrition among adolescent girls.


Author(s):  
Susmita Ghosh ◽  
Md Ruhul Kabir ◽  
Mohammad Rahanur Alam ◽  
Akibul Islam Chowdhury ◽  
Md Abdullah Al Mamun

AbstractObjectivesAdolescence, a crucial period for growth velocity including sexual maturation, is an important period of life and young adolescent girls need to have proper knowledge, positive attitudes and practice of balanced diet to achieve optimum growth and development. Considering its importance this study attempts to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of balanced diets among adolescent schoolgirls in Noakhali district, Bangladesh.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three secondary schools in Noakhali district, Bangladesh. A multistage sampling techniques was used to select schools and study participants. A total of 485 adolescent school girls participated and a pre-designed, validated and structured questionnaire was used for data collection. In addition to descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression were employed for analysis.ResultsThe results from the study revealed that more than half of the students did not have good knowledge about a balanced diet, 42.8% had a positive attitude, whereas the practice of consuming a balanced diet was rather low (only 4.5%). Students studying in government schools had better knowledge and attitudes than non-government school students. Moreover, 41.1% of students were underweight; more than 60% of respondent’s mothers did not have an education higher than secondary school and were mostly unemployed housewives. Parent’s education, mother’s occupation, and types of school have a strong association with KAP; however, father’s education and occupation showed an association of varying degrees. Being knowledgeable was related to positive attitudes, and students with good knowledge had (OR: 1.828; 95% CI: 1.270–2.631) more likely to have positive attitudes towards a balanced diet.ConclusionsThus, proper knowledge about a balanced diet should be introduced with basic nutritional knowledge to all levels of public education. Interventions and programs can be designed to improve knowledge, attitude, and more specifically the practice at the household level so that adolescent girls can have a proper diet during their sexual maturation phase.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 990
Author(s):  
Cuiting Yong ◽  
Hanmei Liu ◽  
Qiping Yang ◽  
Jing Luo ◽  
Yufeng Ouyang ◽  
...  

This study aims to explore the association between restrained eating, body image, and dietary intake among Chinese college students. This cross-sectional study included 1301 college students at two universities in Hunan Province. Electronic questionnaires were used to collect information including students’ demographic characteristics, restrained eating, perception of body weight, body satisfaction, and dietary intake. Anthropometric measurements were collected to calculate body mass index (BMI). The prevalence of high restrained eating was 52.8%. Students who were dissatisfied with their bodies or overestimated their body weight showed a higher tendency toward high restrained eating (p < 0.05). Students with high restrained eating tended to eat fruits and eggs more frequently, while the frequency of eating domestic animals and poultry, sugar-sweetened beverages, and fast food were the opposite. Moreover, high restrained eating was a risk factor for low dietary diversity (odds ratio (OR) = 1.384, 95% confidence interval: 1.002~1.912). The high incidence of restrained eating among Chinese college students and its energy-restricted diets that may lead to possible health implications require attention. Further studies are needed to investigate the characteristics of college students’ restrained eating to tailor appropriate interventions for forming positive body images and promoting healthy eating behaviors, thus, improving dietary quality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mishra ◽  
J. Lamichhane

Background: Sexual harassment on public transport is an everyday occurrence for millions of girls and women around the globe. With the skyrocketing population of Kathmandu valley public transport has been facing enormous pressure. The major victims of these harassments happens to be college going girls and working women as they tend to travel more in public transports. This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors responsible for sexual harassment in public transport among female health science students.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 396 female health science students studying in Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences using self-administered structured questionnaire. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling method.Results: The prevalence of sexual harassment among female health science students was found to be 79.6%. Physical harassment was the most prominent type of harassment (67.1%) followed by verbal (61.2%) and non verbal 34.6%. After the experience of sexual harassment, 44.6% scolded the harasser, 29.1% kept silent, 17.3% dropped at nearest bus station whereas remaining 9% reacted in other different ways. Overcrowding was considered as main reason for sexual harassment by 69.2% of the participants. 36.8% of female students didn’t use any precautionary methods whereas 32.6% avoided going out alone at night.Conclusion: The study reveals that the prevalence of sexual harassment is significantly high. With increasing population and limited vehicles people are left with no option rather than travelling in the overcrowded vehicles where the chances of experiencing various sorts of sexual harassments are very high. In order to address this emerging issue, prompt and appropriate intervention should be taken by government, public and especially the status of women must be raised in society.JMMIHS.2018;4(1):20-32


Author(s):  
Geeta Singh ◽  
Anish Khanna ◽  
Monika Agarwal ◽  
V. K. Singh ◽  
Rekha Sachan

Background: Menstruation and related problems are difficult issues for adolescent girls and are a common reason for consulting healthcare providers. The objective of the study was to study the age of menarche, menstrual pattern, menstrual related health problems and health seeking behaviour for it.Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in urban as well as rural schools of Lucknow district from August 2014 to September 2015. Multistage random sampling was used to select the requisite number of girls. A total of 600 girls of age group 10-19 years were interviewed and analysed using appropriate statistical methodsResults: The mean age of menarche of the total population was 13.2±1 years. During menstruation, urban girls had significantly excessive passage of clots (26.5%) and faced more discomfort in their routine activities (78.8%) when compared to their rural counterpart (25.2% and 73.4% respectively), whereas the relation was inverse with regard to school absenteeism that was significantly higher in rural girls (44.0%) than urban girls (32.3%). The usual age of menarche as well as the pattern of pre-menstrual symptoms varied significantly between the girls of rural and urban areas.Conclusions: With few exceptions, menstrual health related problems have an unequal distribution in girls of rural and urban origin. Hence effective management of menstrual problems will lose its chase unless health education targeting all the three groups viz.; adolescent girls, concerned parents and teachers have to be uniformly strengthened.


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