Knowledge, Determinants of Attitude and Willingness for Cosmetic Surgery among Online Media Users in Nigeria

Abstract

Cosmetic surgery has become popular in both developed and developing countries. The aim of this study is to identify the level of knowledge, determinants of attitude, and willingness for cosmetic surgery among online media users in Nigeria. A semi-structured online questionnaire was designed on Google forms and was forwarded to respondents via the investigator’s social media networks (Email, WhatsApp, Facebook). Data on socio-demographic characteristics, level of knowledge, attitude, and willingness for cosmetic surgery was collected from one hundred and ninety-seven online users and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. P-value less than or equal to 0.05 was taken as significant. The mean age of the respondent was 28.0 ± 7.1 years with a male to female ratio of 1:1.4. The majority (91.9%) of the respondents had good knowledge of cosmetic surgery, but 53.0% of the respondents have a positive attitude to cosmetic surgery. More than three-quarters (77.7%) were unwilling to have cosmetic surgery, and satisfaction with body image was the most frequent reason stated. The younger age group, respondents that are Christians, and personal income of above ₦1,000,000 ($2,595.63) per annum were predictors of a positive attitude to cosmetic surgery. The respondents had good knowledge of cosmetic surgery. However, the attitude towards cosmetic surgery was relatively poor. Factors such as age, religion, ethnic affiliation, and income were important determinants of the attitude towards cosmetic surgery.