Effect of Body Image on Unhealthy Diet Practices in Female Adolescents

Abstract

Unhealthy diet practices have been widely observed among female adolescents. However, these practices can have negative health consequences, as they contribute to malnutrition and increase the incidence of eating disorders among adolescents, necessitating prevention measures targeting factors that promote unhealthy diet practices among adolescents. This study aims to analyze the effect of body image on unhealthy diet practices among female adolescents. This case-control study was conducted at seven public high schools in Medan on 62 female adolescents in both the case and control groups. Samples were selected using simple random sampling. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Study results showed that body image significantly affects unhealthy diet practices among female adolescents, with those having negative body image being 5.991 times (95% CI: 2.756–13.022) more likely to engage in unhealthy diet practices compared to those with positive body image. It is recommended that schools develop educational interventions integrated into the curriculum or extracurricular programs aimed at fostering a healthy body image and promoting healthy, evidence-based diet methods.