Introducing "Beauty in the Eye of Health”

Adolescence is a critical stage in human development. Physical attractiveness plays an important role in how adolescents view themselves and has potential psychological and medical consequences.

Negative self-image has been linked to several negative consequences such as eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, anorexia bulimia), low self-esteem, excessive exercise, and depression. Negative self-image can also affect social relationships and emotional growth.

Survey of the current scientific literature reveals limited data on this topic. However, the information is alarming; 50-80% of adolescent girls and 33% of adolescent boys respectively feel negative about their bodies. Two out of three girls and one out of five boys think they are obese or overweight. In addition, there is a paucity of data on immigrant and lower socio-economic adolescents.

The “Beauty in the Eye of Health” senior project is designed as a cross-sectional survey of high school students (Grades 9-12) from various backgrounds looking at the perception of physical attractiveness, self-image, self-esteem, and health status. The 19-question survey will be administered anonymously through SurveyMonkey.

The data will be analyzed to determine if there is any correlation between negative body image, socio-economic status, immigrant status, and health outcomes.

#BackgroundInfo #AboutSurvey #Research