Relationships of Body Image and Eating Attitudes with Sociodemographic, Psychologic and Nutritional Factors in University Students Attending First Classes

Abstract

Senior Seminar students for their research project investigated, “Perceptions of college students on the effects of body image in today’s society.” In this study, student researchers focused on the way body image was exemplified amongst college students from five factors: 1) their mental development, 2) realistic fashion sense, 3) athletics, 4) nutrition, and 5) the physical wear and tear of its image. The study consisted of 100 individuals on the campus of The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff who had given time and knowledge to the situation. Through a series of analyses on the surveys administered as well as a graphing, student researchers were able to connect the survey with their general assumptions and theories on the perspectives of body image. While researching, key concepts were identified which provided a better clarification of perspectives on the body’s image. Students who experienced the judgment of their body’s image were prone to being affected in each of the five brackets mentioned above. The five areas focused on were important in understanding just how a person was affected, and the stages they endured as well. The researchers observed that the image society displays as the perfect body is viewed through different lenses around campuses today. This topic was not only important to research, but also a step forward in building stronger confidence amongst growing individuals in college today.