Prevalence of distorted body image in young Koreans and its association with age, sex, body weight status, and disordered eating behaviors

Seong-Chul Hong,1 Young-Eun Jung,2 Moon-Doo Kim,2 Chang-In Lee,2 Mi-Yeul Hyun,3 Won-Myong Bahk,4 Bo-Hyun Yoon,5 Kwang Heun Lee6 1Department of Preventive Medicine, 2Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, 3College of Nursing, Jeju National University, Jeju, Republic of Korea; 4Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 5Department of Psychiatry, Naju National Hospital, Naju, Republic of Korea; 6Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea Purpose: To define the prevalence of distorted body image in 10–24-year-old Koreans and determine its relationship with sex, age, body weight status, and disordered eating behaviors.Methods: A total of 3,227 young Koreans were recruited from elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as from universities. The participants completed a self-reported questionnaire on body image, eating behaviors (Eating Attitude Test-26), and body weight status.Results: The prevalence of a distorted body image in males was 49.7% and that in females was 51.2%. Distorted body image was more frequent in adolescents (age, 10–17 years) than in young adults (age, 18–24 years). The highest prevalence (55.3%) was reported in female elementary school students (age, 10–12 years). Distorted body image was associated with disordered eating behaviors and abnormal body weight status.Conclusion: These results suggest that distorted body image is a public health problem, given its high frequency in young Koreans, and that it is associated with abnormal body weight status and disordered eating behaviors. Keywords: distorted body image, weight status, disordered eating behaviors, young Koreans, Eating Attitude Test, BMI