Body perception and influencing factors in 6th grade students of Trakya University Faculty of medicine

In our study, we aimed to examine body perception and the factors affecting it in 6th grade students of Trakya University Faculty of Medicine. Our sample consisted of 226 6th grade students at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine who agreed to participate in the study. Our data were collected by applying a 79-question questionnaire. Our questionnaire included 23 questions about sociodemographic characteristics and living habits, 16 questions including the Two Dimensional Self-Esteem Scale and 40 questions including the Body Perception Scale. Of the participants in our study, 111 (49.1%) were female and 115 (50.9%) were male. The mean scale score of female students was 99.15±20.12 points, while that of male students was 86.10±24.36 points. In our analyses, it was found that male students, those who had romantic relationships even if irregular, those with high self-esteem levels, those who preferred resistance/weight training as an exercise type, and students categorized as overweight according to body mass index had higher body satisfaction. (Statistically their significance respectively: p:0,001 ; p:0,001 ; r<0,001 p:-0,488 ; p: <0,001 ; p: 0,022) No relationship was found between body perception and whether the participants had a physical or mental illness, diet and eating attitudes, smoking/alcohol use habits and exercise duration. (The p values of the related parameters are >0.05) It was found that body satisfaction decreased as the budget allocated for care expenses and the time spent on social media increased.( (The p-values of the related parameters are respectively: r:0,010 p:0,172 ; r:0,021 p:0,154) This study reveals once again that there are many parameters affecting body perception. Based on our findings; we can positively change the body perception of individuals by directing them to regular physical activity, strengthening their social support networks, regulating the time they spend on social media and the content they are exposed to. Keywords: Body perception, self esteem, social media