Body Image Perception, Media Exposure and Eating Behavior: an exploratory study among a group of adolescent boys in West Bengal

The main objective of the paper has been to explore the association of media exposure with perception of body image and eating behavior among a group of adolescent boys. A cross sectional study was conducted among 102 adolescent boys belonging to the Bengali-speaking Hindu ethnic group, who were between the ages of 14 and 19 years, living in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, body image perception and attitude, media exposures and eating behavior were collected using standard pretested questionnaires. It was observed that around half of the participants expressed dissatisfaction with a desire to have a healthy body shape. Although participants, who generally spent more than one hour a day on watching television or browsing internet or reading magazine articles, were more dissatisfied with their body image than the others; yet no significant association was found between any of the media and satisfaction level of their body image. Results further revealed that majority of the participants have normal eating behavior and only 10% of the participants, who were dissatisfied with their body image, showed disordered eating behavior. Only significant association was found between consumption of chocolates and their satisfaction level of own body image. Our qualitative data showed that participants were not much concerned with their 'body image' and 'body weight", but they did fantasize about the body structure of their idols (be them the actors, athletes or social leaders) and wanted to be like them. It can be safely assumed that the adolescent boys have dissatisfaction with their body image perhaps in their subconscious mind. Media would play a significant role in building up their body image and consequently their eating behavior.