ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY: Relationship between social media use and disordered eating behavior among female university students in Qatar

Abstract

Introduction: Abundant literature has established the negative impact of traditional media on
\nbody image and disordered eating behaviors among young women. In the past few years, social
\nmedia use has soared especially among youth, yet the influence of social media in relation to
\ndisordered eating has not been fully explored. The aim of this study was to assess the
\nrelationship between social media use and disordered eating outcomes among young Arab
\nwomen.
\nMethods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a probability sample of 1,418
\nundergraduate female students living in Qatar, a rapidly developing nation in the Middle East.
\nPopular social media platforms were assessed including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and
\nTwitter. Other covariates assessed included body image, body mass index, and socioeconomic
\nstatus. To assess the multivariate association between social media (main predictor or exposure
\nvariable), and disordered eating as measured by three levels of the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test
\n(EAT-26) (dependent variable), stepwise backward ordinal regression models were fit to the data.
\nData analysis was performed using Stata 14 software.
\nResults: Findings confirmed that intensive use of social media, particularly Instagram, was
\npositively associated with increased disordered eating behaviors among young women. Social
\nmedia use intensity showed a significant association with increased disordered eating [(OR 1.207, SE (0.075), P < 0.01, 95% Confidential Interval [CI] 1.068 to 1.363)]. Among the four
\nsocial media platforms measured, Instagram use had a significant association with disordered
\neating [OR 1.387, SE (0.186), P < 0.05, 95% CI 1.107 to 1.804)].
\nDiscussion and Conclusions: This study highlights the significant role of social media on the
\nbehavior of young women, and supports the sociocultural theory linking media to disordered
\neating. Such an understanding of social media’s role is instrumental for the promotion and
\nprevention of disordered eating among young women.