Several academic studies attempted to reveal relationships between eating habits, body weight, and an individual’s self-esteem. For instance, Nagata et al. (2019) studied 14,891 U.S. young adults and found that muscularity-oriented eating disorders were primarily associated with self-perception of being underweight and lower body mass index scores. Cruz-Sáez et al. (2018) surveyed 806 adolescents in Basque Country, Spain, and confirmed that the development of eating disorders was mediated by body dissatisfaction. In addition, negative self-esteem mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and negative affect manifested in depression and anxiety (Cruz-Sáez et al., 2018). A meta-analysis of thirteen primary studies by Colmsee et al. (2021) confirmed that low self-esteem acts as a universal risk factor for adverse eating habits and disorders. Lastly, Jebeile et al. (2020) found that obesity increases the risk of eating disorders in adolescence by causing body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem reduction. In these examples, one can see how eating habits, body weight, and self-esteem may act as mutual predictors. Individuals with self-perceived low or high body weight may become dissatisfied with their appearance. Consequently, they may start practicing unhealthy eating habits to solve their problems.
In this regard, the interconnected relationship between eating habits, body weight, and self-esteem may degrade into a vicious circle. Individuals dissatisfied with their bodies may either begin overeating to gain weight and transform it into muscles or start eating less than necessary in order to lose weight. However, extreme eating habits would likely lead to unsatisfactory results and cause additional damage to self-esteem as an individual fails to improve self-perception of their physical appearance. In turn, increasing body dissatisfaction and reduced self-esteem may reinforce harmful eating habits. Without an intervention from trained medical professionals and psychologists, such a situation may quickly spiral out of control, potentially leading to dangerous health consequences. Overall, the complex nature of the dangerous relationship between eating habits, body weight, and an individual’s self-esteem makes this matter particularly interesting for exploration.
Investigating different ethnic groups may offer valuable insight into matters related to eating habits, body weight, and self-esteem issues. For example, Nagata et al. (2019) found that Black Americans are more susceptible to muscularity-oriented eating disorders. In this regard, research in a typical African setting might yield interesting results due to the novelty of the research context. Nagata et al. (2019) made a notable finding specifically relevant to the Black American population, even though Black Americans’ eating habits may be heavily influenced by the socioeconomic and cultural climate of the United States. In this regard, research in a typical African setting may lead to unique findings and provide healthcare professionals with valuable information for promoting healthy eating habits.
In particular, one can hypothesize that perceptions of healthy eating habits, optimal body weight, attractive physical appearance, and self-esteem may significantly differ in a typical African setting, where a more traditional lifestyle is preserved. Therefore, a questionnaire-based research design would make it possible to elicit culture-specific opinions and perceptions from people who maintain a strong connection with African cultural roots. As a result, the research may contribute to the development of culturally-sensitive strategies for promoting healthy eating habits among people of African origin. Given these considerations, data collection via a questionnaire seems a rational and ethically appropriate methodological choice for a typical African setting.
References
Colmsee, I. S. O., Hank, P., & Bošnjak, M. (2021). Low self-esteem as a risk factor for eating disorders. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 229(1), 48-69. Web.
Cruz-Sáez, S., Pascual, A., Wlodarczyk, A., & Echeburúa, E. (2020). The effect of body dissatisfaction on disordered eating: The mediating role of self-esteem and negative affect in male and female adolescents. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(8), 1098-1108. Web.
Jebeile, H., Lister, N. B., Baur, L. A., Garnett, S. P., & Paxton, S. J. (2021). Eating disorder risk in adolescents with obesity. Obesity Reviews, 22(5), e13173. Web.
Nagata, J. M., Murray, S. B., Bibbins‐Domingo, K., Garber, A. K., Mitchison, D., & Griffiths, S. (2019). Predictors of muscularity‐oriented disordered eating behaviors in U.S. young adults: A prospective cohort study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 52(12), 1380-1388. Web.