Determining the perceived body image and dieting attitude among high school students in selected schools of Udupi District

Objective: The objectives of the study were to determine perceived body image and dieting pattern among the high school students of Udupi district Materials and method: A descriptive survey design was used and samples were selected using multi stage sampling technique. Samples consisted of 200 high school students from four high schools. Multistage sampling technique was used. The analysis of the data was done using inferential and descriptive statistics. Results: Majority, 97 (48.5%) of the samples had moderate perception of their body image. The mean value of the student’s perception of body image total score was 59.7. The standard deviation was 17.32. It was also found that majority, 113 (56.5%), of the high school students followed unhealthy dieting attitude. The mean (SD) of the total score of the dieting attitude was 1.565(0.497). Conclusion: Nutrition is very important for children. Poor nutrition is often cited as a major reason for the delay in the onset of puberty among adolescents. The present study revealed that majority of the students had moderate perception of one’s body image and followed an unhealthy dieting attitude. The growth spurt and increase in body fat that occurs with puberty may predispose the adolescents to weight preoccupation, body shape dissatisfaction and harmful weight control.