Body Image Dissatisfaction and Risk of Eating Disorders Among University of Sharjah Students

Background and aim Body image significantly influences an individual's self-esteem and general mental well-being. A negative body image, defined as the discrepancy between one's real physique and their perceived ideal physique, can lead to considerable psychological and behavioral problems, such as body dissatisfaction and maladaptive eating habits. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the connection between body image dissatisfaction and eating attitudes among students at the University of Sharjah, with the aim of providing region-specific evidence to guide future health promotion programs targeting young people. Methodology In this cross-sectional study, data collection was carried out between January 2022 and March 2022, which was conducted through an online questionnaire, a text version of which is available in Appendix. Participants were recruited from multiple colleges within the University of Sharjah. In all, a total of 311 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. This study incorporated body dissatisfaction, body appreciation, and eating disorder (ED) risk, which were assessed using standardized questionnaires. Lastly, data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA). Results The results of the study revealed that out of the 311 individuals, the majority (65.6%, n = 204) had minimal to no risk of developing an eating disorder (ED) and reported high levels of body appreciation, indicating a low body dissatisfaction rate. There was no significant association between sex and body image dissatisfaction, with both males and females having similar ED risk (32.3% vs. 35.3%, p-value = 0.603). In contrast, some psychological factors were strongly associated with ED risk. Participants who reported that social media influenced their body perception had a higher incidence of ED (40.3%, n = 95; p-value = <0.001). Similarly, those who felt pressure to conform to social media beauty standards (50.0%, n = 79; p-value = <0.001) and those who received appearance-related remarks from peers or family members (41.2%, n = 87; p-value = <0.001) also demonstrated significantly higher ED risk. Lastly, participants who reported heightened awareness of their eating habits during the COVID-19 lockdown had a significantly higher risk of ED than those who reported no change (43.2%, n = 92 vs. 15.3%, n = 15; p-value = <0.001). Conclusion Despite high overall levels of body appreciation, a substantial proportion of the participants were at risk of eating disorders. Eating disorder risk and degree of body dissatisfaction were significantly associated with sociocultural factors, including social media influence, perceived pressure to conform to cultural beauty standards, pressure from family/peers due to appearance-related remarks, and the COVID-19 lockdown. The findings of our study underscore the need for preventive and educational initiatives that promote healthy body image and awareness of the potential psychological and behavioral consequences of unrealistic beauty standards.