Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Aug 25;29(4):208-217.
doi: 10.11919/j.issn.1002-0829.216092.

Association Among Internet Usage, Body Image and Eating Behaviors of Secondary School Students

Natthakarn Kaewpradub  1 , Komsan Kiatrungrit  2 , Sirichai Hongsanguansri  2 , Chosita Pavasuthipaisit  3
Affiliations

Association Among Internet Usage, Body Image and Eating Behaviors of Secondary School Students

Natthakarn Kaewpradub et al. Shanghai Arch Psychiatry. .

Abstract
in English, Chinese

Background: Presently, the internet plays a big role in daily life, especially for adolescents. In this age group, they are more concerned about their face and body shape. Despite the numerous studies on the effect traditional media has on body image, very few have focused on the effect of newer forms of media (e.g. online media). And almost none have looked at the relationship between time spent online and body image.

Aim: To study the associations between time spent on the internet, body image satisfaction and eating behaviors of students grades 7 to 12 in the Thai educational system.

Methods: The sample group included 620 students, who were selected using simple random sampling from 6 secondary schools in Bangkok. Data were collected using the Media and Internet use behavior questionnaires, The Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults: Thai version (BESAA), Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS: males only), The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: Thai version, Eating Attitude Test-26: Thai version (EAT-26) and the eating behaviors at risk of obesity questionnaire.

Results: Mean (sd) age of the sample was 15.7 (1.9) years, 246 participants (39.7%) were male and 374 (60.3%) were female. Using the internet and social networks for content related to body image and eating behaviors, was negatively associated with body image satisfaction but positively associated with inappropriate eating attitudes/behaviors, binging, purging, use of laxatives/diuretics and drive for muscularity with respect to behaviors and attitudes, and was associated with eating behaviors that carried a risk for obesity.

Conclusions: Time spent on internet, especially engaged in activities related to self-image, and eating attitudes and behaviors, were associated with a decrease in body image satisfaction and problematic eating behaviors.

背景: 现时互联网在日常生活中扮演着重要角色，尤 其是对青少年，他们更关心自己的脸型和体型。尽管 有传统媒体对体象满意度影响的大量研究，但很少关 注到新媒体(网络) 的影响，而且几乎没有青少年在 网上时间和体象满意度之间关系的研究。.

目标: 旨在研究7-12 年级泰国学生在网上时间、体象 满意度和饮食习惯的关系。.

方法: 对来自泰国曼谷6 所中学的620 名学生进行随 机抽样调查。采用自制的媒体和互联网使用行为问卷， 青少年和成人的体像自信量表 (BESAA) 泰国版，肌肉强 壮量表(DMS 只用于男性)，Rosenberg 自尊量表泰国版， 26 项饮食态度测试泰国版(EAT-26) 和饮食习惯带来肥 胖风险问卷进行测量。.

结果: 受试平均年龄为15.7 (1.9) 岁，其中男性246 名 (39.7%)，女性374 名(60.3%)。从互联网和社交网络获 得体象和饮食行为相关内容的上网时间，与身体意象 满意度负相关(r = -0.096, p = 0.17 & r = -0.097, p = 0.016)， 与不恰当的饮食态度/ 行为、贪食、自我诱导式呕吐、 使用泻药/ 利尿剂，对强壮肌肉获取关注的行为/ 态 度的控制正相关。同时也与饮食习惯带来的肥胖风险 相关(r = 0.109, p = 0.006 & r =0.102, p = 0.011)。.

结论: 上网时间，尤其是花在改善自我形象上的活动、 饮食态度及行为，都与体象满意度下降和不良饮食习 惯相关。.

Keywords: body dysmorphia; body image; eating behaviors; eating disorder; internet; obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Stratified random sampling of the schools in the educational system in Bangkok
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Electronic Transactions Development Agency (Public Organization). Thailand Internet User Profile. 2014, 1st ed. Bangkok: Ministry of information and communication technology; 2014
    1. Robert AK. Adolescence. Andres M, Fred RV, editors. Lewis’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Comprehensive Textbook. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007. p. 279-291
    1. Ketumarn P. Teen mental health. Piyanan M, Vantanasiri C, Sunsaneevithayakul P, editors. Understanding the Tumultuous Teens. Bangkok: P.A.Living Company; 2005. p. 89-119
    1. Wiseman CV, Sunday SR, Becker AE. Impact of the media on adolescent body image. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2005; 14(3): 453-471. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2005.02.008 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Benowitz-Fredericks CA, Garcia K, Massey M, Vasagar B, Borzekowski DL. Body image, eating disorders, and the relationship to adolescent media use. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2012; 59(3): 693-704. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2012.03.017 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources