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. 2024 Jul 3:69:1606944.
doi: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606944. eCollection 2024.

Different Categories of Social Media Use and Their Association With Body Image Among Adolescents in 42 Countries

Meyran Boniel-Nissim  1 , Michela Bersia  2 , Natale Canale  3 , Henri Lahti  4 , Kristiina Ojala  5 , Oya Ercan  6 , Anna Dzielska  7 , Joanna Inchley  8 , Paola Dalmasso  2
Affiliations

Different Categories of Social Media Use and Their Association With Body Image Among Adolescents in 42 Countries

Meyran Boniel-Nissim et al. Int J Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: Social media has become integrated into adolescents' lives and influences body image perceptions. Our study examined four patterns of social media use (SMU): non-active, active, intensive, and problematic. We hypothesised that intensive SMU and problematic SMU would be associated with negative body image (negative subjective body weight) and over/underestimated body weight congruence, compared to non-active and active SMU. In addition, we expect these associations to be stronger for girls.

Methods: Data from 190,892 respondents aged 11, 13, and 15 from 42 countries involved in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were analysed.

Results: Findings revealed higher rates of intensive or problematic SMU among adolescents who perceived themselves as too fat or too thin. Two-level regression analyses showed intensive and problematic SMU as more likely to perceive themselves as too fat or too thin than active users. The association was significant among intensive and problematic girl social media users, whereas, among boys, the relationship was only significant for problematic users.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of assessing SMU patterns to evaluate associations with body image.

Keywords: HBSC; adolescence; body image; body weight congruence; social media use.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Sample size of countries and regions involved in the present study [Albania, Azerbaijan, Austria, Armenia, Belgium (Flemish), Belgium (French), Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, England, Scotland, Wales. 2018].
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Association between SMU and Subjective Body Weight (A) and BWC (B) among girls and boys (Worldwide, 2018).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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