الفهرس 
Introduction and Aim of the present studyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Social networking sites (SNS) are a popular form of communication among undergraduate students. Body image concerns and disordered eating behaviors are also quite prevalent among this population. Maladaptive use of SNS has been associated with disordered eating behaviors.
Youth are greatly influenced in their eating habits by peers, mass media, social and cultural norms, and lack of nutrition knowledge, while the influence of the family tends to decline. Youth is a time of high vulnerability to societal and peer pressure, often reinforced by the media. The prevalence of disordered eating is much greater than that of clinically diagnosed eating disorders. It has been estimated that the majority (64-68%) of college- aged women manifest some sort of disordered eating behavior.
Disordered eating is a disturbed and unhealthy eating pattern that can include behaviors that occur less frequently or are less severe than those required to meet the full criteria for the diagnosis of an eating disorderas restrictive dieting, compulsive or binge eating or skipping meals. In addition, it includes fasting or chronic restrained eating, unbalanced eating and compensatory behaviors as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxative, diuretic and enemas and use of diet pills.
With every day technology advances, it is important to be aware of how social media may reinforce the thin ideal. One particularly salient part of college women’s lives is the social media website Facebook. Facebook use is becoming deeply ingrained in student’s daily life. The average college student endorses using the internet site for approximately 30 minutes throughout the day as part of his or her daily routine. Higher Facebook use was found to be associated with lower self-esteem in college women, which, in turn, predicts depressed mood, body dissatisfaction, and non-suicidal self-injury in disordered eating populations. Exposure to images of very thin models is a well-established predictor of body dissatisfaction and a drive for thinness in females. Exposure to media messages that promote the thin ideal body has been linked to body image disturbance as well as disordered eating among both males and females. It has been documented that DEBs often result in outcomes that are harmful to both physical and mental health, and can easily develop into a clinical disorder if preventative measures are not implemented.
The aim of the current study was to study the relation between social media usage (Facebook) and disordered eating behavior among university students in Alexandria University. It was conducted from September 2017 to October 2017 among 550 students.
A multistage stratified random sampling technique was used. Three stages of stratification were based on type of faculty in Alexandria University (practical or theoretical), grade level and sex. In the first stage, two practical and two theoretical faculties were chosen randomly from the faculties of Alexandria University after exclusion of one-gender faculties and those located outside Alexandria city. Faculties of Tourism and Hotels, and Specific Education represented the theoretical colleges while Faculties of Dentistry and pharmacy represented practical colleges. The predetermined sample (550 students) was proportionally allocated on selected faculties. In the second stage, the allocated sample for each faculty was equally allocated on all grades. In each faculty, one section was selected at random to represent each grade. In the third stage, the predetermined sample in each grade was equally allocated on male and female genders. Full participants were randomly selected female and male students willing to participate and giving complete sheets.
The results summarized that:
• All the studied university students had a Facebook account.
• Nearly half of them visit Facebook more than 6 times a day, and following friends’ updated status.
• Female university students more to had problematic internet use compared to male students.
• One third of the studied university students are at risk for eating disorder, they had disorder eating attitude and behavior.
• University students with disordered eating attitude/behavior were more to had problematic internet use compared to those with normal eating attitudes/behavior.
• Disorder eating attitude and behavior is more common among the studied female university students than males.
• There is a positive relationship between disordered eating attitude / behavior and average time spent on Facebook on each access.
• The majority of the students were living either with their families or alone
• The majority of the students’ parents were employed. The highest percentage of the students’ parents hold university certificates.
• One third of the studied university students were physically active.
• One third of the studied university students were smokers
• The majority of the students were taking meals irregularly.
• Around two third were taking snacks daily
• Nearly three quarters of the students show dietary habits change since starting university.
• Most common dietary habits changes were skipping meals, eating fast food, and consuming soft /caffeinated drinks.
• Nearly one quarter of the students admitted seeking medical help due to weight/eating problem. The majority of them sought help for weight loss.
• Artificial sweeteners consumption was more encountered among female students.
• Most of the students were within normal range of weight for height, while one third of the students classified as overweight.
• Obesity were higher among male students.
Conclusion
Facebook is an integral part of university students’ daily life where all of them had an account. Students’ pattern of Facebook use was characterized mostly by high frequency of access more than 6 times per day, longer duration of access from half an hour to more than 3 hours.
Problematic Facebook use was significantly associated with student’s eating attitudes and behaviors.Disordered eating attitude/behaviors were significant more encountered among those who visited Facebook 6 times or more per day, spent more than 3 hours on Facebook on each access and those who never use Facebook for studding.
About one third of the studied sample encountered disordered eating attitudes and behaviors.
Problematic Facebook use and disorder eating attitude were more common among Female university students compared to male students.
Recommendations are:
• Increasingly, media literacy programs to educate young people on appropriate social media use and to increase awareness that social media may not always reflect reality. Such programs aim to develop critical thinking skills in students which can be applied in their everyday lives, including their engagement with social media.
• The need for future intervention studies to determine if reducing time on SNS or teaching undergraduate students more adaptive ways of using SNS results in reduced body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.
• Un-follow pages that may be triggering or encouraging comparisons. It may be helpful to trial this for a few days and monitor feelings, thoughts and attitudes to see if they start to shift and be less critical.
• Improving university students’ awareness about healthy lifestyle issues as healthy diet, exercising, and stress management as well as the health burden of body weight problems and emotional health problems is an essential step towards preventing their occurrence. Examples of university-based intervention could be; instituting across the curriculum course on health of youth particularly mental and nutritional health and hosting regular speaking engagement with a prominent nutritionist or mental health professional.
• Coordinated university campus strategies and activities which promoting healthy eating, regular physical activity and effective weight and stress management are greatly needed. Examples of such strategies include reviving or expanding physical education and fitness classes, developing and promoting walking and cycling routes in campus.
• Nutritional counseling and advice may be useful to help the person identify their fears about food and the physical consequences of not eating well.
• Education about the nutritional values of food can be beneficial particularly when the person has lost track of what ‘normal eating’ is.