Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41898083›Full record

ReviewBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Association of Body Image, Body Weight and Social Media Use: A Narrative Review of Observational and Experimental Evidence of the Last Decade.

Maria Mentzelou, Sousana K Papadopoulou, Exakousti-Petroula Angelakou, Ioanna P Chatziprodromidou, Constantinos Giaginis

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Maria MentzelouDepartment of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, 81400 Myrina, Greece.
Sousana K PapadopoulouDepartment of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Hellenic University, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-6408-6128
Exakousti-Petroula AngelakouDepartment of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, 81400 Myrina, Greece.
Ioanna P ChatziprodromidouMedical School, University of Patra, 26504 Patra, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-6242-1351
Constantinos GiaginisDepartment of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, 81400 Myrina, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-2878-4831

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesThe multifaceted concept of body image (BI) refers to an individual's attitudes and impressions of their body. Negative BI is associated with a number of harmful health consequences, including obesity, eating disorders, and symptoms of sadness. The contemporary digital era, marked by the dominance of platforms, has brought about a considerable transformation in the landscape of BI issues. This study's goal is to compile and assess the connections between social media (SM) use, body weight, and BI in adult populations.

methodsThis is a narrative review that comprehensively searches across multiple academic databases, such as PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Studies that used SM (online blogs, microblogs, content communities, or social networking sites) for engagement (e.g., sharing, commenting, liking) or image-related activities (e.g., viewing, posting, or engaging with images) with healthy adults (aged 18-70 years) of any body mass index (BMI kg/m

resultsThe currently available findings suggest that obese people are more dissatisfied with their bodies than people of normal weight, and obese women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than their peers of normal weight. Furthermore, experimental studies have demonstrated that immediate BI is adversely affected by acute exposure to idealized social media photographs.

conclusionsPolicies should support specialized training that emphasizes a holistic approach to health and puts functionality and health above attractiveness. This training is crucial for dispelling weight-related stigmas and enabling healthcare providers to offer compassionate treatment that supports mental and physical health. Future research must concentrate on internalization and social pressure or reinforcement because these subjects have not gotten as much emphasis in prior studies. Such mechanism research could help better contextualize the role of recently introduced SM items.

Indexed as

BMIbody imagebody satisfactionsocial media useweight concerns

Identifiers

PMID41898083
PMCPMC13024165

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.