Peer Influence and Psychological Aspects of Eating: A Review of Association Between Peer Influence, Eating Behavior, Body Image among Young Adults

The constant changes in adolescents’ life are transnormal marked by peer influence and body related images. The main aim of the study was to examine the relationship between peer influence, eating behavior, and body image among young adults. The study followed quantitative research design including random sampling technique for the data collection from 99 participants, aged 18-25 years, selected from the undergraduate course at Amity University, Lucknow. To assess peer influence, the Peer Pressure Questionnaire developed by Singh and Saini (2010, revised 2016) was used, to assess eating behavior, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) by developed by Garner & Olmsted (1982), and to assess body image concern Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34) developed by Cooper, Taylor, & Fairburn (1987 was used. While previous research has shown a strong positive correlation between peer influence, body dissatisfaction, and distorted eating behavior, the findings of this study present a different perspective. A significant correlation was observed between peer influence and eating behaviors, indicating that social interactions play a key role in shaping dietary habits. However, contrary to past studies, peer influence had only a weak association with body dissatisfaction, and no significant relationship was found between body image concerns and eating behaviors.