A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates
Body image perception in youth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have changed due to exposure to global beauty standards. This study aimed at investigating the association between body appreciation, body mass index (BMI) and other demographic variables among undergraduates of a federal universit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2501247 |
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| author | Mo’ath Fakhri Bataineh Carine Platat Ruqaya Keftan Alaa Ahmed Fatima Albloshi Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana |
| author_facet | Mo’ath Fakhri Bataineh Carine Platat Ruqaya Keftan Alaa Ahmed Fatima Albloshi Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana |
| author_sort | Mo’ath Fakhri Bataineh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Body image perception in youth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have changed due to exposure to global beauty standards. This study aimed at investigating the association between body appreciation, body mass index (BMI) and other demographic variables among undergraduates of a federal university in the UAE. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey using the Arabic-translated body appreciation scale-2 (BAS-2). The sample comprised 401 students (median age of 20 years; 72.3% female). Our main finding was that BMI showed a modest, yet significant, negative correlation with total BAS-2 score in females (Spearman’s rho = -0.202; p < 0.001) and a slightly more pronounced negative correlation in males (Spearman’s rho = -0.361; p < 0.001). In conclusion, the negative association between body appreciation and BMI appears to be stronger in young adult male undergraduates, compared with females in the UAE, highlighting the importance of including male students in interventions to improve body image. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab811e10296e40ac9614b21096f33a23 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0267-3843 2164-4527 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| spelling | doaj-art-ab811e10296e40ac9614b21096f33a232025-08-20T03:10:58ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272025-12-0130110.1080/02673843.2025.2501247A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab EmiratesMo’ath Fakhri Bataineh0Carine PlatatRuqaya Keftan1Alaa Ahmed2Fatima Albloshi3Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana4Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAEDepartment of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAEDepartment of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAEDepartment of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAEDepartment of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAEBody image perception in youth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have changed due to exposure to global beauty standards. This study aimed at investigating the association between body appreciation, body mass index (BMI) and other demographic variables among undergraduates of a federal university in the UAE. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey using the Arabic-translated body appreciation scale-2 (BAS-2). The sample comprised 401 students (median age of 20 years; 72.3% female). Our main finding was that BMI showed a modest, yet significant, negative correlation with total BAS-2 score in females (Spearman’s rho = -0.202; p < 0.001) and a slightly more pronounced negative correlation in males (Spearman’s rho = -0.361; p < 0.001). In conclusion, the negative association between body appreciation and BMI appears to be stronger in young adult male undergraduates, compared with females in the UAE, highlighting the importance of including male students in interventions to improve body image.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2501247Body appreciationbody mass indexBAS-2body image |
| spellingShingle | Mo’ath Fakhri Bataineh Carine Platat Ruqaya Keftan Alaa Ahmed Fatima Albloshi Nishan Sudheera Kalupahana A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates International Journal of Adolescence and Youth Body appreciation body mass index BAS-2 body image |
| title | A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates |
| title_full | A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates |
| title_fullStr | A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates |
| title_full_unstemmed | A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates |
| title_short | A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates |
| title_sort | cross sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the united arab emirates |
| topic | Body appreciation body mass index BAS-2 body image |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2501247 |
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