Social Media, Body

Dysmorphia & Disordered

Eating in Adolescence
Anna Bohigian
Nutrition
Medium-Term Trainee
CHLA LEAH Hot Topic
Social Media Usage
Pew Research Center’s most current
(2018) report on social media
 95% of teens have access to a smart-
phone
 Universal among teens of different
genders, races and ethnicities and
socioeconomic backgrounds.
 88% of teens have access to a desktop or
laptop computer at home
 45% of teens say they are online on or a
near a constant basis
Nutrition Misinformation
 Fitness & nutritional information
are the two most searched health
topics amongst adolescents
 Unregulated medical or health
professional information
 “Pro-ana” sites
 Fact vs. perceived knowledge
 Credibility
 Search engine utilization
Nutritional Info Via Social Media
2020 Study on adolescents use of social media for
nutritional info
Procedures
 Cross-sectional Design

 167 young adolescents and their parent/guardian

Results
 58% of adolescents from the sample reported that
they use social media to obtain nutritional
information
 Greater use of internet sources was associated
with greater disordered eating attitudes and
behaviors in young adolescents
“Clean” Eating Phenomenon
2020 study on “Clean Eating” perceptions amongst adolescents & young adults

 Sample: n=1266; Ages14-24 years old

 Procedure: 5 questions assessing knowledge of “clean eating” and

willingness to adopt “clean eating” practices

 Findings:

 55% of respondents had previously heard of “clean” eating

 Definitions were heterogeneous

 71% characterized “clean” eating as a healthy approach, 6% flagged it as

“unhealthy”, and 18% noted elements of both healthfulness and harm

 41% reported they “probably would” try “clean” eating

There are high levels of awareness and positive attitudes

toward “clean” eating in young people with little recognition
for the potential risks of dietary restriction.
 Assessing Concerns
2020 study on the development and validation of the Appearance-Related Social Media
Consciousness (ASMC) Scale

 Study 1: Developed 13-item scale with feedback

 Study 2: Administered scale to a sample of high school students

 Study 3: Administered scale to a second sample of high school students

 Findings

 Higher ASMC score was associated with higher depressive and disordered eating symptoms

 Girls reported higher mean scores than boys

 Support the use of the 13-item scale in reliably assessing ASMC, which may have implications for

mental health in adolescents

 Addressing Concerns
 Create different lenses

 Teach filtering information

 Misinformation may stick with them for years and lead to mental health concern,

skewed perceptions of body image and eating patterns.

 My story…

 Future Focus: Implementation of courses, speakers, workshops, etc. on social

media influence could all be relevant sources of guidance for adolescents

susceptible to disordered eating and body dysmorphia
THANK YOU!
Questions?
 References
Ambwani S, Sellinger G, Rose KL, Richmond TK, Sonneville KR. "It's Healthy Because It's Natural." Perceptions of "Clean" Eating

among U.S. Adolescents and Emerging Adults. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 7;12(6):1708. doi: 10.3390/nu12061708. PMID:

32517342; PMCID: PMC7352986.

Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2020, August 14). Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2021, from

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/

Choukas-Bradley, S., Nesi, J., Widman, L., & Galla, B. M. (2020). The Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness Scale:

Development and validation with adolescents. Body image, 33, 164–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.017

Moorman, E. L., Warnick, J. L., Acharya, R., & Janicke, D. M. (2020). The use of internet sources for nutritional information is

linked to weight perception and disordered eating in young adolescents. Appetite, 154, 104782.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.104782