Table of Contents

Abstract

Studies in developed countries have shown a relationship between body image dissatisfaction (BID) in adolescents and eating disorders. The prevalence of BID in several countries has been reported to be 10–75% in male teenagers and 24–90% in female teenagers, but there is limited data from developing countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BID in adolescents in an urban city of Indonesia, nutritional status as a risk factor for BID, and unhealthy eating habits caused by BID. This was a cross-sectional study conducted from August until November 2020 involving students aged 15 to 18 years old from selected high schools in Jakarta. The questionnaire to collect anthropometric data, body dissatisfaction scale (BDS), and eating habits was shared via an electronic link. There were 154 subjects (47.1%) suffered from BID and most of them wanted to be thinner. Higher body mass index (BMI) was the most significant factor correlated with BID, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.8 (1.777–4.471). There was a significant but weakly positive correlation (p = 0.044; r = 0.112) between BID score and eating habit score, indicating that the more subjects wanted to be thinner, the healthier their eating habits were. The prevalence of BID in the adolescent population in Jakarta was high. Since BID was significantly associated with higher BMI, weight control programs in adolescents should not be weight labelling and body image friendly.

Keywords: Body image dissatisfaction, body mass index, eating habit, nutrition, adolescent, developing country