Associations of self-esteem with body mass index and body image among Saudi college-age females Tasneem ALAhmari1, Abdulaziz Alomar2, Jumanah ALBeeybe1, Nawal Asiri1, Reema ALAjaji1, Reem ALMasoud1, Hazzaa M. Al-Hazzaa3
1
Medical student, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
2
Assistant Professor and Consultant Orthopedics, Sport Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgeon,
Department of Orthopedics, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (
[email protected]). 3 Professor
Emeritus and Former Director, Pediatric Exercise Physiology Research laboratory,
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (
[email protected]). ORCID: 0000-0002-3099-0389
Corresponding author: Dr. Abdulaziz Alomar College of Medicine King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472 Phone no.: ++966-1-4670871 Email:
[email protected]
Acknowledgments This study was funded by Students’ Research Funds provided by the Deanship for Scientific Research, King Saud University. We would like to thank the students who assisted with the data collection. We would also like to extend our appreciation to all the students who participated in this study.
1
Abstract Purpose: To examine the association of self-esteem with the body mass index (BMI), perceived body image (BI), and desired BI of college-age Saudi females. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 907 randomly selected females using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Self-esteem and BI were assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Stunkard Figure Rating Scale, respectively. Results: The prevalence of low self-esteem was only 6.1% among college females; however, this percentage was higher (9.8%) among overweight or obese participants. The total self-esteem scores showed significant negative correlations with actual BMI (r = - 0.095; p = 0.004) and perceived BI (r = - 0.193; p < 0.001), but not with desired BI (r = 0.013; p = 0.701). Meanwhile, multivariate analyses revealed significant (p 0.037 to
