Author(s): Sakshi Shetye and Dr. Rekha Battalwar

Abstract:
Social media sites, like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, provide an enormous number of features that enable people to create and engage with content, connect, and exchange experiences, making them essential components of contemporary life and people try to modify their life as shown on these social media platforms which affect their eating habits, lifestyle and body image perception. This study aimed to assess the impact of social media on eating habits, lifestyle modifications and body image perception of adults aged 20-40 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mumbai on 50 male and 50 female participants of age 20-40 years. Data was collected using purposive sampling and a self-designed questionnaire was used which included 6 sections; sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measures, social media usage patterns, social media and eating habits, social media and lifestyle modifications and social media and body image perception. The study used SPSS version 25 for Windows to analyse data, categorize variables like gender, time spent on social media, and body image perception, compare them using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests, and assess correlations using Spearman's correlation. The study examined the relationship between social media usage, body image, and eating habits among participants. The majority of participants used Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, with higher percentages of those with negative body image using YouTube (p = 0.045) and Facebook (p = 0.010). Social media influenced participants to restrict certain foods, and negative body image was associated with eating habits. Longer social media usage was linked to overuse, negative eating habits, feeling judged about appearance (p = 0.011), and dissatisfaction due to fewer likes. Males were more likely to post content promoting smoking compared to females. While 66% had a positive body image, 34% had a negative body image, with Instagram having the highest percentage of participants with negative body image perception. Negative body image was associated with being negatively affected by social media (p = 0.021). Males reported comparing their appearance more often than females (p = 0.021). The present study highlights the widespread influence of social media on various aspects of adult life. The likelihood of trying a diet recommended by an influencer and recommending it to others was significantly seen. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation with eating habits, body image perception and a negative correlation of posting content on social media and daily hours of sleep.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/23957476.2024.v10.i2a.1593