How athletic pursuits shape body image in young adults

Purpose: Mental health is an important component of overall health, although concerns about body’s appearance could affect mental health. Body image (BI) is a multidimensional construct focused on how subjects see, feel, think and behave regarding their bodies. Negative BI is predictors of health-related problems such as depression, weight control and eating disorders. Given the positive impact of sport practice, in particular team sport, on health, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of team sport practice on individual’s BI. Methods: Forty young adults (17 males, 23 females) were allocated in two groups: Team Sport Group (TSG = 20 team sport athletes) and Sedentary Group (SG = 20 sedentary individuals). To assess the subjective and emotional dimensions of BI, subjects were asked to complete the BI Dimensional Assessment (BIDA) questionnaire. BIDA is a neutral silhouette-based scale, ranging from 1.8 to 5.2. Participants had to indicate their perceived and ideal body shape, the most appropriate body shape for their peers and the most appreciated body shape by the opposite sex. Three direct indexes were then calculated: Body Dissatisfaction (BD), Sexual Body Dissatisfaction (SxBD), Comparative Body Dissatisfaction (CBD). The scores can range between - 100% and 100%. Positive values indicate that subjects currently rate their BI higher than idealized levels. To verify differences (p\0.05) in BD, SxBD, CBD in team sport athletes compared to sedentary individuals a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied. Results: TSG showed significant (p\0.05) lower values for BD (3.5 ± 9.3%), SxBD (-1.3 ± 9.4%) and CBD (-10.8 ± 8.5%) with respect to SG (BD: 12.7 ± 17.1%; SxBD: 10.7 ± 18.3%; CBD: 4.3 ± 24.7%). Conclusions: Findings confirm the relevant role of sport participation in determining psychological benefits, such as a person’s perceptions of body. The TSG reported better perceived BI than sedentary counterparts. Scores of BD and SxBD were higher (positive) in SG than TSG, indicating that perceived body shape of athletes is similar to the ideal and the most appreciated body shape by the opposite sex. Conversely, scores of CBD were lower (negative) in TSG than SG, indicating that perceived body shape is different than the most appropriate body shape for their peers. This difference could be due to athletes tending to resemble the aesthetic ideal of a healthy and appealing physique, which is not achieved by their peers.