Background: Perception of body-image; the way individuals see or feel about their own physical appearance, can influence one’s mental well-being, self-esteem and lifestyle. There is a dearth of research in Sri Lanka on the perception of body-image among undergraduates.

Aim: To describe the perception of body-image and its associated factors among undergraduates in selected faculties of a state university in Sri Lanka

Methods & Materials: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 389 undergraduates selected through convenience sampling from the Faculties; Applied Sciences, Medical Sciences, Management & Commerce and Humanities & Social Sciences of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Data was collected through a validated, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire circulated as a Google-form. Perception on body-image, mental well-being and self-esteem were assessed using Body-Focused Shame and Guilt Scale (minimum 0, maximum 88, cut-off 37), WHO-5 well-being index (minimum 0, maximum 100, cut-off 40) and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (minimum 10, maximum 40, cut-off 28) respectively. All attributes were dichotomized using the means obtained at the pilot test. Associations were determined by using chi-squared test, considering p< 0.05 as the level of significance.

Results: Majority of the participants were females (n=270, 69.4%). Median age was 23 years (IQR=4). Males (70.6%) had a more positive body image perception than females (55.6%, P=0.005). Majority of the undergraduates (n=242, 62.2%) had a BMI within normal range. Amongst the participants, 65.3% had been subjected to body-shaming. A negative perception on their body-image was seen in 39.8% of the participants. Amongst them, 69.0% had poor mental well-being (P=0.005) and 72.3% had a poor self-esteem (P=0.004). Arts undergraduates displayed a highest effect due to body-image perception while Medical undergraduates displayed the least.

Conclusions: Negative perception on body image is a hidden problem among undergraduates in Sri Lanka. The association of body image perception with gender, mental well-being and self-esteem is significant.