Factors Influencing Body Image Perception of University Students in Ghana

This study aimed to find out the perception of University of Cape Cost students about their body image and the factors which influenced their body image perception. Cross-sectional descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A sample of 380 students was used for the study through the proportional stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected by using questionnaire adapted from the instrument of Pop (2016). A Cronbach co-efficient alpha of 0.821 was obtained indicating that the instrument was reliable. Mean and standard deviation were used in analysing the data. The study revealed that the respondents did not see themselves as having the perfect body shape, were not satisfied body shape and size and were not satisfied with their weight. Overall, the respondents had poor body image. The study revealed also that media and peer influences were the main factors which influenced body image perception among the students. The other identified factors were society and cultural background, family members and partners. It was recommended that university authorities should organise outreach programmes for students on how to improve their self-esteem and self-image so that the incidence of poor body image can be reduced.

Changes in Weight, Body Image Perception and Self-Efficacy: A Study on Italian Adolescents during the Pandemic Period

The lockdown period in Italy, due to Covid-19 government restrictions, caused sedentary behavior and a reduction in physical activity, with an increase in body weight and a change in body perception. Body image includes beliefs about one’s appearance. Women tend to exhibit poor body image compared to men; if we consider adolescence, this difference tends to be greater. In addition, only a small percentage of adolescents believe their body image to be adequate. Given that adolescence represents one of the periods with the highest level of physical change, including changes in weight, height, and body shape, we wanted to study how self-efficacy can be affected by body image. Studies have shown that self-efficacious students tend to be more persistent in the face of unexpected difficulties, particularly important in the current pandemic conditions. In our study, we analyze the relationship between the variation of perceived weight after two months of lockdown, and Self-efficacy, mediated by body image perception in a sample of Italian adolescents. Simple mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS 3.5 for SPSS 27. Two-hundred and fifty high school students from northern Italy took part in the study (82% female, with a mean age of 16 years ±1,43). The data confirmed a partial mediation effect of body image perception. These results highlight how body image assumes significance for one of the most relevant developmental tasks for adolescents related to evaluation and self-perception affecting their self-efficacy, which is also a predictor of their academic achievement. We hope that studies like these can support the importance of interventions aimed at promoting well-being among adolescents, specifically regarding aspects of physical and motivational self-evaluation.

Comparison of Body Image Perception and Depression in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and Non-PCOS Women

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to appraise the relationship between women’s body image perception and depression in case and controls. Methods: In this case-control study 60 polycystic ovarian syndrome patients established agreeing to the Rotterdam criteria and 60 healthy controls of reproductive age group were enrolled. The PCOS patients and healthy controls were evaluated on questionnaire for physical appearance and depression. Body image perception was accessed using the validated Body Esteem Scale. The symptoms of Depression were evaluated with the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report. Results: 55% of PCOS patients had depression while 36.7% were found with depression in the control group. In the PCOS group 65% of patients were found with positive body image while 98.3% of patients were found with positive body image. Significant association of study cases group was found with BMI group (p=0.049), diet habit (p=0.013), depression (p=0.044) and body image (p=0.000). Patients with depression are also more likely to have PCOS in comparison with those who haven’t (OR=2.111). Conclusion: There was a significant association of study group with body image perception and depression. Therefore, health of the patients with this set of symptoms is essential to be acknowledged more fully, predominantly in relation to the despair and poor body image. The outcomes of this study foster implications for clinical practice and propose that a multidisciplinary team should be involved in treatment of PCOS. Key words: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), Depression.

The Associations of Body Image Perception with Serum Resistin Levels in Highly Trained Adolescent Estonian Rhythmic Gymnasts

Rhythmic gymnasts (RGs) are more likely to be dissatisfied with their body mass and shape compared to untrained controls (UCs). However, due to the lack of information, the aim of this study was to investigate the associations of body image perception (BIP) with body composition, daily energy consumption and different blood biochemical markers in adolescent RGs compared to UCs. Thirty-three highly trained RG girls and 20 UC girls aged 14–18 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Height, body mass, body composition, energy intake, resting energy expenditure, training volume and different blood biochemical markers were measured. The body attitude test (BAT) was used to evaluate the BIP of the participants. There were no differences in the total BAT scores between the groups. In RGs, the BAT score correlated positively with the serum resistin level (r = 0.35; p = 0.047). A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that 40.8% of the variability in the BAT score was determined by resistin and BMI. The association of BIP with resistin values was observed only in RGs. In conclusion, our findings add to the increasing evidence that resistin may be a link between BIP and body composition, most likely through fat mass, in adolescent female RGs.