Social Media Use and Body Image Dissatisfaction Among University Students of Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia

Background Recently, social media has become an integral part of daily life, particularly among young adults. While these platforms offer numerous benefits, including communication, information sharing, and social connection, they have also been linked to a range of negative psychological consequences, including body image dissatisfaction. This study examined the prevalence of body dissatisfaction among health science students in Saudi Arabia, assessed the frequency and duration of social media use by gender, estimated the impact of social media use for >3 hours a day on body dissatisfaction, and identified the most commonly used social media platforms. Methodology Between December 2023 and June 2024, we conducted a cross-sectional study of students at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, including all university colleges and branches in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Al-Ahsa. A survey was randomly sent to students' email addresses by the research unit of each college. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to test the association between two categorical variables. Results The 392 participants were between 18 and 25 years old; more than half (63%) were female and 95% were single. The majority (88%) were satisfied with their body image, whereas 11.2% were dissatisfied. Body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with gender (p = 0.038) and body mass index (p = 0.031). Approximately 87% reported spending ≤3 hours per day on social media, and 65% reported using social media six times or more. There were no associations between long duration and frequency of social media use and body dissatisfaction by gender (p > 0.05). The most prevalent social media platform was TikTok (63%), followed by Twitter (59%), and an equal percentage (53%) for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat. Conclusions This study indicates a low prevalence of body dissatisfaction among health science students. Increased duration and frequency of social media use were not significantly associated with body dissatisfaction. Focusing on body satisfaction among future physicians is crucial because it plays a significant role in shaping their patients' perceptions of health and beauty. Future studies could expand on these findings by including larger and more diverse sample sizes. They could also explore the impact of different types of social media content on body dissatisfaction.