Nutritional Status and Body Image Dissatisfaction Among Adolescent Girls of Barahathwa Municipality, Sarlahi District

Adolescence is a crucial stage in which physical and psychological development takes place. The importance of body image in the adolescent age group cannot be neglected. Dissatisfaction with body image occurs due to differences between an individual's ideal thinking and actual body shape, which can affect dietary practices. In this context, the present study attempts to find out the association between nutritional status and body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls residing in Barahathwa Municipality of Sarlahi district in Nepal. A descriptive cross-sectional study design involving a sample size of 384 adolescent girls was conducted. The present study used a structured questionnaire. Findings of the study showed that 53.9 % of the respondents had a normal Body Mass Index. However, the prevalence rate of body dissatisfaction among adolescents was 26.3 %, mainly due to fears of stunting (44.5%) and being overweight (33.7%). There is a positive correlation between nutritional knowledge and practices of adolescents. Although 51.6% had good knowledge and 49.6% followed good nutritional practices, 94% of adolescents preferred to eat junk food. Even though 73.7 % of adolescents were satisfied with their body frame, body dissatisfaction among underweight adolescents was still prevalent. These results emphasised the importance of implementing nutrition and body image-specific programs that would help prevent body image distortions and improve dietary behaviours. Despite the high levels of nutrition knowledge among participants, their ability to make healthy food choices did not tend to be applied. Hence, the implementation of appropriate actions should be based on helping adolescent girls connecting theoretical knowledge with practical application through educational measures and behaviour patterns.