The Influence of Social Media Affinity on Eating Attitudes and Body Dissatisfaction in Philippine Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the influence of social media affinity on eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction among adolescents in the Philippines.Methods: The participants were 114 junior high school students enrolled in 7th to 10th grade in Cavite Province, Philippines. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS, using descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple linear regression.Results: The factors affecting eating attitudes were body dissatisfaction (β=-.47, <i>p</i><.001), social media affinity (β=.33, <i>p</i><.001) and grade (10th grade) (β=-.28, <i>p</i><.001), and the factors influencing body dissatisfaction were eating attitudes (β=-.65, <i>p</i><.001) and social media affinity (β=.17, <i>p</i>=.041).Conclusion: In order to promote healthy eating attitudes and to improve body satisfaction among Philippine adolescents, educational strategies tailored to social media users will be needed.