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Body Image, Eating Habits and Practice Exercises Attitudes of Female Adolescent Students at Assiut University

Research Authors
HODA D.F. IBRAHIM, AML M. AHMED,MARZOKA A. GADALLAH and ASMAA A.M. HUSSIEN
Research Department
Research Journal
Med. J. Cairo Univ.
Research Member
Research Publisher
NULL
Research Rank
1
Research Vol
Vol. (78), No. (2)
Research Website
NULL
Research Year
2010
Research_Pages
765-772
Research Abstract

The study aimed to identify body image, eating habits and practice exercises attitudes of female adolescent students in Assiut University. It was carried out in female students' Hostel of Assiut University. A convenience sample of 619 female students who agreed to participate in the study. Their age ranged between 17-21 years. The study subjects were from faculties of medicine, education, science, arts, nursing, and faculty of law. About one third of students were in grade I (34.8%), grade II (30.0%), while (23.1%) were in grade III, and (12.1%) in grade IV. The researches designed a self administrated questionnaire for data collection. It consisted of five main parts: The first part was concerned with socio-demographic data of the study sample, the second part was concerned with number of meals/day, body image as their respond, trials to lose weight and practice of exercise, the third part included the pattern of food intake, dietary habits, types and quantity of food consumed in the previous 24 hours, the fourth part included attitude scale to measure attitudes towards balanced diet and physical exercise, and the fifth part included attitude scale to measure attitudes towards body image. The fieldwork started on middle of April 2009 to the end of May 2009 in the academic years 2008/2009. Results of the present study revealed that more than half of the study participants (57.8%) were not practice physical exercises and (76.9%) who considered themselves in average body weight and 33.3% tried to lose weight. The results also showed that 68.5% of studied sample who had in average body image had positive attitude towards balanced diet and 65.5% who tried to lose weight had positive attitude towards balanced diet. Regarding physical exercise the results revealed that there is a statistically significant association between practice exercise and balanced diet p<0.003. The students who tried to lose weight had statistically significantly associations with practice physical exercise (p<0.003). It was clear that 66.6% of the study female adolescent students had positive attitude towards balanced diet while 47.8% of them had positive attitude towards physical exercise. The study recommended that health education programs directed to female adolescents in the schools and universities to increase the awareness about healthy eating habits and practice exercies.