A cross-sectional study on the stronger negative association between body appreciation and body mass index among male compared to female undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates

Body image perception in youth of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have changed due to exposure to global beauty standards. This study aimed at investigating the association between body appreciation, body mass index (BMI) and other demographic variables among undergraduates of a federal university in the UAE. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey using the Arabic-translated body appreciation scale-2 (BAS-2). The sample comprised 401 students (median age of 20 years; 72.3% female). Our main finding was that BMI showed a modest, yet significant, negative correlation with total BAS-2 score in females (Spearman’s rho = -0.202; p < 0.001) and a slightly more pronounced negative correlation in males (Spearman’s rho = -0.361; p < 0.001). In conclusion, the negative association between body appreciation and BMI appears to be stronger in young adult male undergraduates, compared with females in the UAE, highlighting the importance of including male students in interventions to improve body image.