Thesis Project Poster
Private
Abstract
Background. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant changes to people’s lives, affecting their daily functioning, social interactions, and health. To date, there has been very little research on how body image and associated social media use have been impacted by the pandemic. College-aged women were particularly vulnerable to social media messages about physical appearance during this time period as they were exposed to messages about avoiding weight gain and methods to lose weight via different social media platforms. The present study examined how college-aged women’s body image and social media habits were impacted by the pandemic.
Methods. One hundred thirty-five female students enrolled at the University of Connecticut completed a survey during the Fall 2021 semester. Self-report measures assessed retrospective perceptions of body dissatisfaction, social media usage, physical appearance comparisons on social media, eating behaviors, and exercise behaviors before, during, and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results. Almost all participants reported engaging in physical appearance comparisons on social media pre-Covid (96%), during Covid (96%), and at the present time (95%). Engaging in physical appearance comparison behaviors was significantly negatively correlated with body image at all three time periods, and with higher weight bias internalization. Time spent on social media significantly increased during Covid from pre-Covid levels and has since returned to pre-pandemic levels. Restrictive eating behaviors increased during Covid compared to pre-Covid but are currently lower than pre-Covid.
Conclusions. Although time spent on social media has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the present findings indicate that physical appearance comparisons on social media remain consistently high and associated with worse body image for college females. High levels of body dissatisfaction among college-aged women throughout this time period emphasize the need for more inclusive, positive messages about bodies targeting women in the U.S.
Background. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant changes to people’s lives, affecting their daily functioning, social interactions, and health. To date, there has been very little research on how body image and associated social media use have been impacted by the pandemic. College-aged women were particularly vulnerable to social media messages about physical appearance during this time period as they were exposed to messages about avoiding weight gain and methods to lose weight via different social media platforms. The present study examined how college-aged women’s body image and social media habits were impacted by the pandemic.
Methods. One hundred thirty-five female students enrolled at the University of Connecticut completed a survey during the Fall 2021 semester. Self-report measures assessed retrospective perceptions of body dissatisfaction, social media usage, physical appearance comparisons on social media, eating behaviors, and exercise behaviors before, during, and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results. Almost all participants reported engaging in physical appearance comparisons on social media pre-Covid (96%), during Covid (96%), and at the present time (95%). Engaging in physical appearance comparison behaviors was significantly negatively correlated with body image at all three time periods, and with higher weight bias internalization. Time spent on social media significantly increased during Covid from pre-Covid levels and has since returned to pre-pandemic levels. Restrictive eating behaviors increased during Covid compared to pre-Covid but are currently lower than pre-Covid.
Conclusions. Although time spent on social media has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the present findings indicate that physical appearance comparisons on social media remain consistently high and associated with worse body image for college females. High levels of body dissatisfaction among college-aged women throughout this time period emphasize the need for more inclusive, positive messages about bodies targeting women in the U.S.
