FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BODY IMAGE PERCEPTION AMONG LATE ADOLESCENT FEMALE STUDENTS IN A SOUTHERN COASTAL DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH - A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Abstract

Body image perception is the way a person feels about his/her body and it is ever-changing, and inuenced by various factors. Adolescent girls try to lose or gain weight to attain the "ideal body". Body image perception is still naive, and this research is taken up to understand these unexplored areas. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was done among female students of degree college in Kakinada District during December 2022. Informed consent and ethical approval was taken. 100 Students were selected by simple random sampling and a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on various factors associated with body image dissatisfaction. Body mass index (BMI) of the participants was calculated. Results: The mean (Standard deviation) age of students was 18.6 ± 2.02. As per WHO BMI criteria for adolescents (18-19 yrs), 21% of girls were thin. Majority (71%) of students perceived their body image as normal. Approximately 35% of the students had wrong perceptions regarding their body image. Body image dissatisfaction was there among 36% of the girls. It was found that factors such as higher BMI, Internalization of thin body image ideals, media inuence, appearance related pressures from peers, family were all signicantly associated with body image dissatisfaction. Conclusions: This study establishes the fact that body image dissatisfaction affects adolescent girls to a great extent. Holistic strategies are needed for promoting the acceptance of the real body image.