Body Image, Eating Behaviour, and Physical Activity among Students at National Defence University of Malaysia
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Published
31 August 2024
Keywords:
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body image, eating behaviour, military, physical activity
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the relationship between body image, eating behaviour, and physical activity among students at the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM). A total of 114 students, aged between 19 to 31 years old, were requited from the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM). Data were collected using an online self-report questionnaire which consists of four sections; Sociodemographic Form, Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ), Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Almost half of the respondents have normal BMI, whereas 20.2% were underweight and 23.7% were overweight and obese. Mean body image avoidance scores for civilian students, Reserve Officer Training Unit (ROTU), and cadets were 38.88±12.39, 42.71±6.34, and 44.00±16.05, respectively. Furthermore, high physical activity level was seen the most among civilian students (72.3%) compared to (57.1%) and cadets (41.7%). Significant associations were found between body image and eating behaviour (p<0.001). No association was observed between body image with physical activity (p>0.05) and eating behaviour with physical activity (p>0.05). To conclude, the respondents with a risk of the eating disorder tend to have higher body image avoidance, and the physical activity level did not seem to be concerning body image and eating behaviour in this study.
References
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Chua SN, Fitzsimmons-Craft EE, Austin SB, Wilfley DE, Taylor CB. 2022. Estimated prevalence of eating disorders in Malaysia based on a diagnostic screen. Int J Eat Disorder 55(6):763–775. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23711
Corno G, Paquette A, Monthuy-Blanc J, Ouellet M, Bouchard S. 2022. The relationship between women’s negative body image and disordered eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Front Psychol 13:856933. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856933
Craft BB, Carroll HA, Lustyk MKB. 2014. Gender differences in exercise habits and quality of life reports: Assessing the moderating effects of reasons for exercise. Int J Lib Arts Soc Sci 2(5):65‒76.
De Rubeis V, Bayat S, Griffith LE, Smith BT, Anderson LN. 2019. Validity of self-reported recall of anthropometric measures in early life: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev 20(10):1426‒1440. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12881
Edlund K, Johansson F, Lindroth R, Bergman L, Sundberg T, Skillgate E. 2022. Body image and compulsive exercise: Are there associations with depression among university students? Eat Weight Disorders 27(7):2379‒2405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01374-x
Emmy HKI, Md Jasnin SN, Mohd Syrinaz A, Syima N. 2023. Dietary habit, physical activity and perceived barriers during movement control order among undergraduate students in Puncak Alam, Selangor. Food Res 7(1):264‒270. https://doi.org/10.26656/fr.2017.7(1).660
Falvey SE, Hahn SL, Anderson OS, Lipson SK, Sonneville KR. 2021. Diagnosis of eating disorders among college students: A comparison of military and civilian students. Mil Med 186(9-10):975−983 https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab084
Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, Garfinkel PE.1982. The eating attitudes test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med 12(4):871−878. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700049163
Han B, Du G, Yang Y, Chen J, Sun G. 2023. Relationships between physical activity, body image, BMI, depression and anxiety in Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health 23(1):1−11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14917-9
He J, Sun S, Lin Z, Fan X. 2020. The association between body appreciation and body mass index among males and females: A meta-analysis. Body Image 34:10−26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.03.006
Heider N, Spruyt A, De Houwer J. 2018. Body dissatisfaction revisited: On the importance of implicit beliefs about actual and ideal body image. Psychol Belg 57(4). https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.362
Jakiwa J, Azli MS, Zainuddin AA, Atan SA. 2020. Time spent in physical activity and abdominal muscle endurance level between cadets and civilian students of national defense university of Malaysia. J Mil Med 22(8):93. https://doi.org/ 10.30491/JMM.22.8.873
Jakiwa J, Atan SA, Azli MS, Rustam S, Hamzah N, Zainuddin AA. 2022. The level of sports participation and academic success among Malaysian student-athletes. Int J Learn Teach Edu Res 21(6):122−137. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.6.8
Katzmarzyk PT, Friedenreich C, Shiroma EJ, Lee IM. 2022. Physical inactivity and non-communicable disease burden in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. British J Sports Med 56(2):101−106. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-103640
Lavelle G, Noorkoiv M, Theis N, Korff T, Kilbride C, Baltzopoulos V, Shortland A, Levin W, Ryan JM. 2020. Validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) as a measure of Physical Activity (PA) in young people with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study. Physiotherapy 107:209–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2019.08.013
Moehlecke M, Blume CA, Cureau FV, Kieling C, Schaan BD. 2020. Self-perceived body image, dissatisfaction with body weight and nutritional status of Brazilian adolescents: A nationwide study. J Pediat 96(1):76−83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2018.07.006
More KR, Phillips LA, Colman MHE. 2019. Evaluating the potential roles of body dissatisfaction in exercise avoidance. Body Image 28:110−114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.01.003
[NHMS] National Health Morbidity Survey. 2019. National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2019). Malaysia (KL): National Institute of Health Malaysia.
Ngan SW, Chern BCK, Rajarathnam DD, Balan J, Hong TS, Tiang KP. 2017. The relationship between eating disorders and stress among medical undergraduate: A cross-sectional study. Open J Epid 7(02):85−95. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojepi.2017.72008
Pellizzer ML, Tiggemann M, Waller G, Wade TD. 2018. Measures of body image: Confirmatory factor analysis and association with disordered eating. Psychol Assessment 30(2):143. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000461
Pengpid S, Peltzer K. 2018. Risk of disordered eating attitudes and its relation to mental health among university students in ASEAN. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity 23(3):349−355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0507-0
Quittkat HL, Hartmann AS, Düsing R, Buhlmann U, Vocks S. 2019. Body dissatisfaction, importance of appearance, and body appreciation in men and women over the lifespan. Front Psychol 10:864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00864
Radwan H, Hasan HA, Ismat H, Hakim H, Khalid H, Al-Fityani L, Mohammed R, Ayman A. 2019. Body mass index perception, body image dissatisfaction and their relations with weight-related behaviors among university students. Int J Env Res Public Health 16(9):1541. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16091541
Ralph-Nearman C, Yeh HW, Khalsa SS, Feusner JD, Filik R. 2020. What is the relationship between body mass index and eating disorder symptomatology in professional female fashion models?. Psychiat Res 293:113358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113358
Rosen JC, Srebnik D, Saltzberg E, Wendt S. 1991. Development of a body image avoidance questionnaire. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psycholog 3(1):32. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.3.1.32
Rukavishnikov GV, Verbitskaya EV, Vekovischeva OY, Bobrovsky AV, Kibitov AO, Mazo GE. 2021. The association of obesity with eating disorders risk: Online survey of a large cohort of Russian-speaking individuals seeking medical weight correction assistance. J Eat Disorders 9(1):1−7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00456-y
Sabiston CM, Pila E, Van M, Thogersen-Ntoumani C. 2019. Body image, physical activity, and sport: A scoping review. Psychol Sport Exerc 42:48−57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.12.010
Santos MMD, Moura PSD, Flauzino PA, Alvarenga MDS, Arruda SPM, Carioca AAF. 2021. Eating behavior and body image in health sciences university students. J Bras Psiquiatria 70(2):126‒133. https://doi.org/10.1590/0047-2085000000308
Senín-Calderón C, Santos-Morocho JL, Rodríguez-Testal JF. 2020. Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ). Eat Weight Disorders 25(3):591−600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00650-7
Shook RP, Hand GA, Drenowatz C, Hebert JR, Paluch AE, Blundell JE, Hill JO, Katzmarzyk PT, Church TS, Blair SN. 2015. Low levels of physical activity are associated with dysregulation of energy intake and fat mass gain over 1 year. Am J Clin Nutr 102(6):1332−1338. https://doi.org/ 10.3945/ajcn.115.115360
Smith A, Emerson D, Winkelmann Z, Potter D, Torres-Mcgehee T. 2020. Prevalence of eating disorder risk and body image dissatisfaction among ROTC cadets. Int J Env Res Public Health 17(21):8137. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218137
Taib NM, Khaiyom JHA, Fauzaman J. 2021. Psychometric properties of the adapted Malay Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire 6.0 (EDE-Q 6.0) among university students in Malaysia. Eat Behav 42:101533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101533
[WHO] World Health Organization. 2016. Obesity and overweight: Fact sheet. WHO Media Centre. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight [Assessed 26th June 2023]
Wu J, He L. 2022. The relationship between body mass index and physical activity participation rate design based on fuzzy breakpoint regression design. J Sensors 2022. https://doi.org/ 10.1155/2022/3721659
You HW, Tan PL, Mat Ludin AF. 2020. The relationship between physical activity, body mass index and body composition among students at a pre-university centre in Malaysia. IIUM Med J Malays 19(2). https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v19i2.1567
Yousif MM, Kaddam LA, Humeda HS. 2019. Correlation between physical activity, eating behavior and obesity among Sudanese medical students Sudan. BMC Nutr 5(1):1−8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-019-0271-1
Zakaria R, Amor H, Baali A. 2022. Body image perceptions and avoidance behaviours among a Moroccan group of adolescents. Ann Hum Bio 49(2):116−123. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460.2022.2072524
Chan YL, Samy AL, Tong WT, Islam MA, Low WY. 2020. Eating disorder among Malaysian University students and its associated factors. Asia Pac J Public Health 32(6–7):334‒339. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/1010539520947879
Chin YS, Appukutty M, Kagawa M, Gan WY, Wong JE, Poh BK, Mohd Shariff Z, Mohd Taib MN. 2020. Comparison of factors associated with disordered eating between male and female Malaysian University students. Nutrients 12(2):318. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020318
Chua SN, Fitzsimmons-Craft EE, Austin SB, Wilfley DE, Taylor CB. 2022. Estimated prevalence of eating disorders in Malaysia based on a diagnostic screen. Int J Eat Disorder 55(6):763–775. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23711
Corno G, Paquette A, Monthuy-Blanc J, Ouellet M, Bouchard S. 2022. The relationship between women’s negative body image and disordered eating behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Front Psychol 13:856933. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.856933
Craft BB, Carroll HA, Lustyk MKB. 2014. Gender differences in exercise habits and quality of life reports: Assessing the moderating effects of reasons for exercise. Int J Lib Arts Soc Sci 2(5):65‒76.
De Rubeis V, Bayat S, Griffith LE, Smith BT, Anderson LN. 2019. Validity of self-reported recall of anthropometric measures in early life: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev 20(10):1426‒1440. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12881
Edlund K, Johansson F, Lindroth R, Bergman L, Sundberg T, Skillgate E. 2022. Body image and compulsive exercise: Are there associations with depression among university students? Eat Weight Disorders 27(7):2379‒2405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01374-x
Emmy HKI, Md Jasnin SN, Mohd Syrinaz A, Syima N. 2023. Dietary habit, physical activity and perceived barriers during movement control order among undergraduate students in Puncak Alam, Selangor. Food Res 7(1):264‒270. https://doi.org/10.26656/fr.2017.7(1).660
Falvey SE, Hahn SL, Anderson OS, Lipson SK, Sonneville KR. 2021. Diagnosis of eating disorders among college students: A comparison of military and civilian students. Mil Med 186(9-10):975−983 https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab084
Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, Garfinkel PE.1982. The eating attitudes test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med 12(4):871−878. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700049163
Han B, Du G, Yang Y, Chen J, Sun G. 2023. Relationships between physical activity, body image, BMI, depression and anxiety in Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health 23(1):1−11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14917-9
He J, Sun S, Lin Z, Fan X. 2020. The association between body appreciation and body mass index among males and females: A meta-analysis. Body Image 34:10−26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.03.006
Heider N, Spruyt A, De Houwer J. 2018. Body dissatisfaction revisited: On the importance of implicit beliefs about actual and ideal body image. Psychol Belg 57(4). https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.362
Jakiwa J, Azli MS, Zainuddin AA, Atan SA. 2020. Time spent in physical activity and abdominal muscle endurance level between cadets and civilian students of national defense university of Malaysia. J Mil Med 22(8):93. https://doi.org/ 10.30491/JMM.22.8.873
Jakiwa J, Atan SA, Azli MS, Rustam S, Hamzah N, Zainuddin AA. 2022. The level of sports participation and academic success among Malaysian student-athletes. Int J Learn Teach Edu Res 21(6):122−137. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.6.8
Katzmarzyk PT, Friedenreich C, Shiroma EJ, Lee IM. 2022. Physical inactivity and non-communicable disease burden in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. British J Sports Med 56(2):101−106. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-103640
Lavelle G, Noorkoiv M, Theis N, Korff T, Kilbride C, Baltzopoulos V, Shortland A, Levin W, Ryan JM. 2020. Validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) as a measure of Physical Activity (PA) in young people with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study. Physiotherapy 107:209–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2019.08.013
Moehlecke M, Blume CA, Cureau FV, Kieling C, Schaan BD. 2020. Self-perceived body image, dissatisfaction with body weight and nutritional status of Brazilian adolescents: A nationwide study. J Pediat 96(1):76−83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2018.07.006
More KR, Phillips LA, Colman MHE. 2019. Evaluating the potential roles of body dissatisfaction in exercise avoidance. Body Image 28:110−114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.01.003
[NHMS] National Health Morbidity Survey. 2019. National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2019). Malaysia (KL): National Institute of Health Malaysia.
Ngan SW, Chern BCK, Rajarathnam DD, Balan J, Hong TS, Tiang KP. 2017. The relationship between eating disorders and stress among medical undergraduate: A cross-sectional study. Open J Epid 7(02):85−95. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojepi.2017.72008
Pellizzer ML, Tiggemann M, Waller G, Wade TD. 2018. Measures of body image: Confirmatory factor analysis and association with disordered eating. Psychol Assessment 30(2):143. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000461
Pengpid S, Peltzer K. 2018. Risk of disordered eating attitudes and its relation to mental health among university students in ASEAN. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity 23(3):349−355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0507-0
Quittkat HL, Hartmann AS, Düsing R, Buhlmann U, Vocks S. 2019. Body dissatisfaction, importance of appearance, and body appreciation in men and women over the lifespan. Front Psychol 10:864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00864
Radwan H, Hasan HA, Ismat H, Hakim H, Khalid H, Al-Fityani L, Mohammed R, Ayman A. 2019. Body mass index perception, body image dissatisfaction and their relations with weight-related behaviors among university students. Int J Env Res Public Health 16(9):1541. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16091541
Ralph-Nearman C, Yeh HW, Khalsa SS, Feusner JD, Filik R. 2020. What is the relationship between body mass index and eating disorder symptomatology in professional female fashion models?. Psychiat Res 293:113358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113358
Rosen JC, Srebnik D, Saltzberg E, Wendt S. 1991. Development of a body image avoidance questionnaire. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psycholog 3(1):32. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.3.1.32
Rukavishnikov GV, Verbitskaya EV, Vekovischeva OY, Bobrovsky AV, Kibitov AO, Mazo GE. 2021. The association of obesity with eating disorders risk: Online survey of a large cohort of Russian-speaking individuals seeking medical weight correction assistance. J Eat Disorders 9(1):1−7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00456-y
Sabiston CM, Pila E, Van M, Thogersen-Ntoumani C. 2019. Body image, physical activity, and sport: A scoping review. Psychol Sport Exerc 42:48−57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.12.010
Santos MMD, Moura PSD, Flauzino PA, Alvarenga MDS, Arruda SPM, Carioca AAF. 2021. Eating behavior and body image in health sciences university students. J Bras Psiquiatria 70(2):126‒133. https://doi.org/10.1590/0047-2085000000308
Senín-Calderón C, Santos-Morocho JL, Rodríguez-Testal JF. 2020. Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ). Eat Weight Disorders 25(3):591−600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00650-7
Shook RP, Hand GA, Drenowatz C, Hebert JR, Paluch AE, Blundell JE, Hill JO, Katzmarzyk PT, Church TS, Blair SN. 2015. Low levels of physical activity are associated with dysregulation of energy intake and fat mass gain over 1 year. Am J Clin Nutr 102(6):1332−1338. https://doi.org/ 10.3945/ajcn.115.115360
Smith A, Emerson D, Winkelmann Z, Potter D, Torres-Mcgehee T. 2020. Prevalence of eating disorder risk and body image dissatisfaction among ROTC cadets. Int J Env Res Public Health 17(21):8137. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218137
Taib NM, Khaiyom JHA, Fauzaman J. 2021. Psychometric properties of the adapted Malay Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire 6.0 (EDE-Q 6.0) among university students in Malaysia. Eat Behav 42:101533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101533
[WHO] World Health Organization. 2016. Obesity and overweight: Fact sheet. WHO Media Centre. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight [Assessed 26th June 2023]
Wu J, He L. 2022. The relationship between body mass index and physical activity participation rate design based on fuzzy breakpoint regression design. J Sensors 2022. https://doi.org/ 10.1155/2022/3721659
You HW, Tan PL, Mat Ludin AF. 2020. The relationship between physical activity, body mass index and body composition among students at a pre-university centre in Malaysia. IIUM Med J Malays 19(2). https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v19i2.1567
Yousif MM, Kaddam LA, Humeda HS. 2019. Correlation between physical activity, eating behavior and obesity among Sudanese medical students Sudan. BMC Nutr 5(1):1−8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-019-0271-1
Zakaria R, Amor H, Baali A. 2022. Body image perceptions and avoidance behaviours among a Moroccan group of adolescents. Ann Hum Bio 49(2):116−123. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460.2022.2072524
Authors
AzliM. S., Mohamad RahimK. H., HasanH., & Khairul IkramE. H. (2024). Body Image, Eating Behaviour, and Physical Activity among Students at National Defence University of Malaysia. Jurnal Gizi Dan Pangan, 19(Supp.2), 163-172. https://doi.org/10.25182/jgp.2024.19.Supp.2.163-172
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