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Analysis Study Research Paper | Medicine | Saudi Arabia | Volume 12 Issue 6, June 2023 | Popularity: 5.4 / 10

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The Relationship between Eating Disorders and Use of Social Media in Teenage and Young Adults in Saudi Arabia

Maha Alrasheedi, Mada Alshammari, Somaia Ibrahim

Abstract: Background: The cause of eating disorders (ED) is multi-factorial; includes biological, psychological, intrapersonal, and environmental factors. Social media (SM) use is a contributor for ED which is highly prevalent in teenagers and young adult females. Nowadays, the use of SM apps is very high, therefore, this study is conducted to determine and evaluate the relationship between ED and SM use in teenagers and young adults in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is an analytic cross-sectional study done on teenage and young adults (age 15 ? 25 years) to determine and evaluate the relationship between ED and SM use among this age group in Saudi Arabia. An electronic questionnaire is distributed randomly among the age group described. A total of 350 participants were included in the current study (87.14%) of them are females. Data was analysed using SPSS version 25.0. The frequencies, percentage, were conducted to describe the distribution of the questionnaire. The Chi square test was used to test the relationships between the factors, A p value less than 0.05, 0.01 and 0.001 were considered statistically significant. 17 questions are used to score the ED, and accordingly the participants are divided into high, moderate or low score of ED. Results: The results of this study revealed strong and significant positive association between SM use and ED in teenagers and young adults in Saudi Arabia.9.89% of those who spend > 8 hours on SM have a high score of ED compared to 0% of those who spend < 2 hours, while (78.95) of those who spend < 2 hours a day on SM have low ED score compared to (51.65%) of those who spend >8 hours a day. Conclusion: A clear association was found between SM usage and disordered eating cognitions and behaviors.

Keywords: Eating disorder, social media, teenage, young adult

Edition: Volume 12 Issue 6, June 2023

Pages: 228 - 235

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.21275/SR23526141322

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