The "One Size" Country: an investigation on eating behavior and body image in South Korea.

Research around Eating Disorders has confirmed that sociocultural factors play a significant role in influencing their presentation and development. Over the years, models such as the Tripartite Influence Model have explored how sociocultural pressures impact eating behavior and body image in different populations. Many studies have also brought forward that different cultural variables could represent significant factors of influence in body image issues and eating dysfunctions. Nonetheless, so far research efforts have been focused on Western countries, leaving a considerable gap in the current literature about Eating Disorders presentation and risk factors in non-Western population. South Korea could represent fertile grounds for innovative research on how eating behavior and body image are influenced by specific non-Western cultural characteristics. The present study aimed to investigate eating behavior and body image in South Korea, through a qualitative approach, by interviewing South Korean people using structured interviews and analyzing them with thematic analysis. From the data that was analyzed several themes emerged regarding how appearance, body image, and eating were experienced by the people interviewed. While some results confirmed hypotheses brought forward by existing literature, others could represent innovative insights on how South Korean people feel and think about eating and body image concerns, which could constitute a significant first step to encourage further research on the topic.