Body Image Perception and its Impact on Psychosocial Well-being among youths: A Cross sectional study

Background: The perception of body image plays a crucial role in shaping an individual's psychosocial well-being, particularly during the transitional period of late adolescence. Research were focused mainly on adolescent girls and there was dearth of studies related to both gender about body image perception

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of body image perception among youths (15–24 years) and to examine associated demographic and psychosocial factors, including self-esteem.

Materials and Methods: A facility based cross sectional study was conducted among 442 college students. Cluster random sampling method was adopted. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. The data was for a period of 2 months and analysed using SPSS 20 version. Frequency distribution along with correlation was employed to test

statistical significance.

Results: Among participants, 87% exhibited poor body image perception, with higher prevalence among females (66.5%) than males (33.5%). Nearly half (55%) of the participants reported poor self-esteem, which was significantly associated with female gender (p=0.002) and negative body image perception (p<0.001). No significant relationship was found between socioeconomic status and body image perception.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of poor body image perception and its strong association with low self-esteem, especially among females, highlight the urgent need for targeted educational interventions and counselling to address these issues. Efforts to promote body positivity and media literacy among youths may improve mental health outcomes and psychosocial well-being.