Influence of Facebook on Body Image and Disordered Eating in Kazakhstan and USA

Zaure Ayupova, Yusuf Kalyango Jr, Daurenbek Kussainov, Karlyga N. Myssayeva & Stephanie Smith

doi:https://doi.org/10.29329/ijiaar.2018.151.7

Original article | Open Access
International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research 2018, Vol. 2(3) 207-225

Influence of Facebook on Body Image and Disordered Eating in Kazakhstan and USA

Zaure Ayupova, Yusuf Kalyango Jr, Daurenbek Kussainov, Karlyga N. Myssayeva & Stephanie Smith

pp. 207 - 225 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/ijiaar.2018.151.7

Published online: September 26, 2018 | Number of Views: 209 | Number of Download: 958

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Abstract

Women in the United States of America (USA) are ranked fourth heaviest in the world, while women in Kazakhstan are generally thin. This difference in average female weight leads to interesting questions regarding perceptions of beauty. Is there less negative body image in Kazakhstan given that, on average, Kazakh women are slimmer compared to American women? The “thin ideal” is pervasive in all genres of mass media and has been linked to negative body image, which in turn is a risk factor for eating disorders, and a significant predictor of low self¬-esteem, depression, and obesity. Young women spend an increasing amount of time with social media both in Kazakhstan and the USA, but the relationship between this growing exposure and body image is not fully understood. This study uses objectification to examine the relationship between time spent on Facebook and body image among Kazakh and American college women. Time on Facebook predicted BSQ and EAT-26 scores in Kazakhstan but did not in the USA, suggesting Facebook may have a more subtle effect in the USA. Time on Facebook predicted attention to appearance and negative feelings in both countries. Practical and theoretical implications are detailed.

Keywords: Facebook, Health of women, Healthy lifestyle, Health of nation, Negative influence of hypodynamia, Unrealistic media images, Obesity rate, Female weight, Anorexia, Disorders’ etiology.

How to Cite this Article

APA 6th edition
Ayupova, Z., Jr, Y.K., Kussainov, D., Myssayeva, K.N. & Smith, S. (2018). Influence of Facebook on Body Image and Disordered Eating in Kazakhstan and USA. International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research, 2(3), 207-225. doi: 10.29329/ijiaar.2018.151.7

Harvard
Ayupova, Z., Jr, Y., Kussainov, D., Myssayeva, K. and Smith, S. (2018). Influence of Facebook on Body Image and Disordered Eating in Kazakhstan and USA. International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research, 2(3), pp. 207-225.

Chicago 16th edition
Ayupova, Zaure, Yusuf Kalyango Jr, Daurenbek Kussainov, Karlyga N. Myssayeva and Stephanie Smith (2018). "Influence of Facebook on Body Image and Disordered Eating in Kazakhstan and USA". International Journal of Innovative Approaches in Agricultural Research 2 (3):207-225. doi:10.29329/ijiaar.2018.151.7.

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