Psychosocial variables and body image anxiety among tertiary institution students in Imo State

Abstract

This paper examined the influence of psycho-social variables on body image among tertiary institution students in Imo State University,Owerri, Imo State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised all the students in 2015/2016 academic session, from which a sample of 1000 respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. A five-point Likert-type scale questionnaire tagged of the Body Image Anxiety Questionnaire (BIAQ) was developed by the researcher for data collection. Cronbach Alpha analysis of the instrument yielded a reliability coefficient of .86. Four null hypotheses guided the study. The result showed that whereas gender has no significant effect on body image anxiety, media model, peer influence and self-esteem had a significant relationship with body image anxiety. The major recommendation was that primary care physicians should help patients to value themselves as individuals as this will contribute to their self-esteem.

Keywords: Body image, Gender, Media models, Peer influence, Self-esteem