SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETEWEN SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT, BODY DISSATISFACTION, AND DISORDERED EATING BEHAVIORS IN US ADOLESCENTS

Garrido, Samantha

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETEWEN SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT, BODY DISSATISFACTION, AND DISORDERED EATING BEHAVIORS IN US ADOLESCENTS

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Garrido_hawii_0085O_11464.pdf (523.77 KB)

Date

2022

Authors

Garrido, Samantha

Advisor

Esquivel, Monica K.

Department

Nutritional Sciences

Abstract

Adolescence demonstrates the onset of puberty with both physical and emotional changes in girls and boys. Physical changes during puberty (i.e., changes in lean body mass and adipose tissue) can negatively impact body image. In addition, peer influence and the desire to look and be the same as others can lead to negative body image and body dissatisfaction. Both negative body image and body dissatisfaction can lead to the development of disordered eating patterns and eventually clinically diagnosed eating disorders. The addition of social media into this dynamic can further influence negative body image and disordered eating behaviors. Social media use among adolescents is growing exponentially with the development of several social media platforms that target children and teenagers. Recently, studies conducted by Facebook and others have found associations between social media use and negative health variables such as body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, and eating disorders. However, little published research is available on the type of content, social media platforms, and other contextual factors related to these observed association between social media, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders. To bridge this gap in knowledge, a systematic review was conducted to review all available literature on the relationship between social media use and the prevalence of body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders among adolescents in the United States. Five databases (CINAHL, PsychINFO, Psychological & Behavioral Sciences Collection, PubMed Medline, & Web of Science) were searched using a search strategy informed by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa library liaisons. The search resulted in 1,291 articles. Articles were reviewed for duplicates, and 766 articles were included in the abstract review after removing duplicates and exclusion criteria set by this systematic review. After completing the abstract review, 23 articles were identified for full-text review, which resulted in the inclusion of 7 articles1-7 being included in this systematic review. Of the 7 articles identified, 52-6 demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between social media and negative health variables that included disordered eating behaviors and/or body dissatisfaction. Two articles1,7 did not find a statistically significant relationship between social media use and negative health variables, stating inadequate measurement tools such as self-reported questionnaires and non-diagnostic criteria for diagnosing an eating disorder. A quality assessment for each article was also conducted using the Joan Brigg Institute (JBI) Checklist for quality of cross-sectional studies, with a score of 2 or less on this checklist indicated an acceptable range for quality of evidence presented. Only 2 articles3,7 had a score of 2 or less, which indicates a lack of high quality evidence among a majority of studies identified in this review. This systematic review identified 5 articles2-6 that found a statistically significant relationship between social media and negative health variables such as disordered eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction, however only 2 of these articles3,7 were considered high quality. While statistically significant associations could be found between social media and negative health variables, the evidence of these articles supporting this relationship is of low quality, indicating a need for further research in this topic to understand the true influence of social media on disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders in adolescents in the United States.

Keywords

Nutrition

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/10125/103892

Extent

54 pages

Rights

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Collections

M.S. - Nutritional Sciences

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