The Roles of Media, Social Comparison and Self-discrepancy on Overweight/Obese Patients’ Decision to Undergo Intragastric Botulinum Toxin-A Injection

Abstract

Body image is the sum of individuals’ perceptions of their own bodies. There are various factors that affect body image, one of which is sociocultural factors. Sociocultural factors, including family, peers and the media, are important factors affecting the body image of individuals. The effects of being overweight on one’s body image perception has been one of the most frequently researched topics in recent years. Studies have also shown that comparing one’s body with people in the media, and the dissatisfaction with one’s body resulting from it, motivates people to resort to various methods of losing weight. Doctors recommend various procedures for health reasons. Moreover, overweight women choose some surgical procedures such as intragastric botox injection, due to their concerns about their body image. Intragastric Botulinum Toxin-A injection (stomach botox) is one of them. This study aims to explore how sociocultural factors affect the overweight/ class I obese female patients’ decision to undergo an intragastric botox injection treatment from an interpretative phenomenological approach. The sample of the study consisted of 12 female patients who had an intragastric botox injection in the last six months. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the patients. The interpretive phenomenological analysis revealed seven themes; self-definition through physical characteristics, motivations towards intragastric botox injection, attitudes towards the body, the perceived effects of being overweight, comparing one’s own body, the role of the media in the decision-making process, and treatment plans for changing one’s appearance in the future. It has been found that the body image perceptions of the patients play an important role in the processing-decision-making processes.. In addition, it has been observed that social media is a channel frequently used by patients for the purpose of obtaining information. The study is important in terms of trying to understand cognitive processes including self-evaluations and body image, their motivations behind intragastric BTA injection, and attitudes toward their bodies.