Is body image dissatisfaction a potential factor for causing poor nutritional status in medical students?

Shreya Deoghare; Dr. M S Phatak

Volume : V, Issue : I, January - 2016

Is body image dissatisfaction a potential factor for causing poor nutritional status in medical students?

Shreya Deoghare, Dr. M S Phatak

Abstract :

Perceived body image is said to determine the nutritional status of an individual. More young girls perceive to be thin. This leads to body image dissatisfaction. 100 female medical students were included in the study and divided into two group based on their perception of body image. Body composition parameters were compared in the two groups. 35% of girls reported body dissatisfaction. 90% of the girls desired to be�neither too thin nor too fat�. Peer pressure (46%) was the most influential factor. The prevalence of body dissatisfaction is less in medical students. The p value, being statistically insignificant showed that the girls who were dissatisfied with their body image were unnecessarily concerned as the mean values of the body composition parameters were nearly close to each other in the two groups. Summary: In this study, we found that body image dissatisfaction only partially determines the nutritional status of an individual