Sport practice, physical structure, and body image among university students

Profiles of body image concerns and their associations with disordered eating behaviors

Although body image concerns (BIC) are recognized as a core driver in the development of disordered eating behaviors, the combined role of various types of BIC remains underexamined. This study relied on latent profile analysis to identify the main configurations of self-reported BIC (i.e., body checking and avoidance, perceived physical appearance, and fear of negative appearance evaluation) observed in a sample of 419 French-Canadian individuals (Mage = 26.59, SDage = 9.23). The role of body mass index, sex, and age on profile membership was also examined, as well as the relation between profile membership and disordered eating behaviors (i.e., dieting, bulimia and food preoccupation, and oral control). Six distinct BIC profiles differing in terms of shape and level were identified, with women being more likely to display a profile characterized by higher levels of BIC. In turn, profiles characterized by higher levels of BIC were associated with more disordered eating behaviors. The present study can broaden our understanding of the onset and maintenance of disordered eating behaviors and inspire the development of more tailored body-image interventions.

Perceived Body Image towards Disordered Eating Behaviors and Supplement Use: A Study of Mauritian Gym-Goers

Purpose: Individuals with body image distortions tend to develop an obsession with calorie intake and weight, leading to compounded coping strategies such as modified eating behaviors, supplement use, and excessive exercise. In the local context, little is known about the equation connecting body image to improper eating behaviors and other potential coping mechanisms. This study primarily aims at critically identifying the nexus between features of disordered eating behavior including supplement use, and body image. Methodology: A probabilistic randomized sample of 305 gym members was assessed based on their level of body satisfaction and its influence on their eating habits and supplement use through a structured survey. Findings: Only 37% of the participants were satisfied with their body image. The results concurred with the notion of a poor body image influencing body esteem (χ2 (10) = 137.21, p < 0.05; Cramer V = 0.474). While exercise motivated the use of supplements, a significant relationship was also observed between disordered eating habits and supplement use (χ2 (4) = 48.63, p < 0.05; Cramer V = 0.399). A predictive model was successfully drawn inclusive of the disordered eating behaviors dimensions as a potent predictor of body image (χ2 (56) = 397.12, p < 0.001. Implications: This study presents an in-depth analysis of the magnitude of disordered eating behaviors with respect to individuals in the local fitness industry, and the need for professional support programs toward the re-alignment of body image in an effort to curtail the development of eating disorders in Mauritian gym-goers.

Simultaneous HIFEM and Synchronized RF Procedure Can Be Effectively Used for Increasing Muscle Mass and Decreasing Fat in the Upper Arm

Objective

Several studies on the simultaneous use of high-intensity focused electromagnetic field (HIFEM) and radiofrequency (RF) have shown safety and effectiveness of fat reduction and muscle mass increases in other parts of the body. This study investigated HIFEM+RF procedure effect on muscle mass and adipose tissue in the upper arms.

Methods

Thirty-four subjects enrolled in this multicentric study underwent four, 30-minute bilateral procedures over the upper arms spaced one week apart, with the device simultaneously emitting HIFEM and RF energies. Fat and m. triceps muscle tissue change was measured via magnetic resonance imaging at baseline, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up visits. Additionally, digital photographs, patient comfort, and satisfaction questionnaires were obtained. The trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov under NCT04596241.

Results

MRI images analysis showed significant improvement at both follow-up visits. At 1-month follow-up (n=28) patients showed 22.3 percent (-4.0±1.2 mm) decrease of average fat tissue, and 21.5 percent (+8.2±2.3 mm) muscle mass increase. Twenty-five patients completed the 3-month follow-up visit, with average decrease in fat tissue by 25.5 percent (-4.9±1.5 mm) and average increase in muscle mass by 23.9 percent (+8.9±2.01 mm). Analysis of questionnaires revealed high satisfaction with the results (84.64%), high comfort during the treatment (91.18%), and low VAS score (1.58±2.0), indicating painless procedure.

Conclusion

Presented results demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the HIFEM+RF procedure for muscle mass increase and fat reduction in the upper arm area. These findings correspond with the outcomes seen in other body parts.

Body Image Perception in High School Students: The Relationship with Gender, Weight Status, and Physical Activity

Body image perception includes body size assessment, body desirability estimation, and perceptions concerning one’s own body shape and size. Adolescence is a period of intense and prompt physical transformation, which changes the perception of one’s body. This represents a critical period for the development of body image. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate body image perception and investigate the relationships between it, weight status, sex, and physical activity in a sample of high school students living in Italy. General demographic information and details about physical activity were collected. Body image perception was measured with a body silhouette and two indexes were calculated: the FID (Feel minus Ideal Discrepancy) to evaluate the discrepancy between the perceived current figure and the ideal figure; and the FAI (Feel weight status minus Actual weight status Inconsistency) to observe improper perception of weight status. In addition, body shape concerns were evaluated with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), in which participants reported the frequency of experiencing negative thoughts about their body shape in the last four weeks. Two hundred and four students were included in the study (155 = female, mean age = 17.13 ± 1.70; 49 = male, mean age = 17.25 ± 1.69). Females felt more concerned about body shape than males (χ2 = 11.347, p = 0.001). Distinctions emerged in terms of body mass index, the scores of Feel minus Ideal Discrepancy (FID), Feel weight status minus Actual weight status Inconsistency (FAI), the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), and of the silhouette mean comparisons due to sex, weight status, and PA interaction effects (p < 0.001). Additionally, 94% of the BSQ variability could be explained by sex, weight status, and PA. Although no direct effects were observed on body image perception, healthy habit promotion, such as physical activity, could positively affect adolescent lives.

How physical exercise impacts academic burnout in college students: The mediating effects of self-efficacy and resilience

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Academic burnout is harmful to college students, their institutions of learning, and society at large. While research has shown that physical exercise may be associated with reduced academic burnout, the underlying mechanisms require further exploration. This study explored the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout in a sample of college students, with a focus on the serial mediating roles of self-efficacy and resilience.

METHODS

This study adopted a cross-sectional survey approach among a sample of undergraduate college students in China. We recruited 1,270 participants in the second half of the 2021-2022 academic year (476 men and 794 women), all of whom completed questionnaires containing the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Academic Burnout Scale for College Students, 10-item General Self-Efficacy Scale, and 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. We then subjected the collected data to a series of statistical analyses.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Physical exercise was significantly and negatively associated with academic burnout and its three subfactors (i.e., emotional exhaustion, improper behavior, and low personal achievement). Participants in the high physical exercise group showed lower levels of academic burnout than those in the moderate and low physical exercise groups. Finally, our serial mediation model showed that physical exercise had a significant direct effect on academic burnout (β = -0.1104, 95% CI = [-0.1421, -0.0791]) in addition to significant indirect effects on academic burnout via self-efficacy and resilience (β = -0.0802, 95% CI = [-0.1088, -0.0527]); the more exercise participation, the lower the academic burnout among college students. These findings suggest that physical exercise is an important interventional target when aiming to reduce academic burnout.

Body image perceptions and avoidance behaviours among a Moroccan group of adolescents

BACKGROUND

Adolescents are a vulnerable group to the body dissatisfaction that causes unhealthy attitudes and behaviours. It has been shown that many factors affect body image dissatisfaction.

AIM

To describe body image size perception, degree of body dissatisfaction, avoidance behaviours, and their relationship with gender, age, and weight status, and to assess the relationship between body dissatisfaction and avoidance behaviours among a group of Moroccan adolescents.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional survey was comprised of a sample of 487 adolescents. Stunkard's figure rating scale was used to assess perceptions of current and ideal body image and body dissatisfaction. Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire was employed to assess avoidance behaviours.

RESULTS

Body dissatisfaction was found to be strongly associated with weight status in both male and female adolescents. Avoidance behaviours were positively associated with gender, age, weight status and body dissatisfaction. Indeed, avoidance behaviours were frequently reported among female, young adolescents, those with high BMI z-score and those seeking to lose weight. Adolescents tended to behave under the influence of two factors: clothing and weighing-grooming.

CONCLUSION

Weight status is an important factor which deeply impacts adolescent body dissatisfaction. Adolescents resort to behaviour avoidance and physical appearance control to cope with body dissatisfaction.

Body image perception and body composition in early adolescents: a longitudinal study of an Italian cohort

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a sensitive period of life in which everyone faces physical and psychological changes. No longitudinal studies considering changes in body image perception and body composition in Italian adolescents have been carried out. The aims of this study were to evaluate the longitudinal change in body composition and weight status in a sample of Italian students of both sexes over the 3 years of middle school and to analyse the influence of these parameters on the perception and satisfaction of one's own body image.

METHODS

Sixty-four males and seventy females were followed longitudinally from 11 to 14. Age at first measurement was 11.8 ± 0.3 yrs. in males and 11.9 ± 0.3 yrs. in females, then the students were measured again after 1 year and 2 years. Anthropometric measurements were collected and body composition was assessed by skinfolds. Maturity status was detected by age at menarche in females and by estimated age at peak height velocity in males; sports practice was assessed by a questionnaire. Body Silhouette Charts were used to assess body image perception. The degree of body image dissatisfaction and improper perception of weight status were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied.

RESULTS

Height, sitting height, leg length, and weight increments were higher in males than in females, and in both sexes the sitting height increment was higher than that of leg length. Skinfold thicknesses and percentage of body fat, showed a decrease in males and an increase in females over the 3 years. About 90% of the sample practiced sport during the 3 years. No significant variations in body image perception were observed among repeated measures but significantly differences were observed between sexes. Although the girls showed a lower incidence of overweight and obesity than boys, girls had a higher dissatisfaction than males. Males were less accurate in one's perception of one's own weight status.

CONCLUSIONS

The changes in body composition observed in the sample of the present study were in accordance with their maturity stage. An increase in parameters connected with adiposity is observed in females and a decrease in males. Body image perception did not seem to change with growth, but associations were found between body image perception and BMI and sex. Monitoring body image perception in young adolescents, especially in females and in overweight/obese subjects, is a priority to prevent nutritional disorders.

Body dissatisfaction and its association with domains of physical activity and of sedentary behavior in a sample of 15,632 adolescents

Objectives Body image is widely related to behavioral factors in adolescents and negative levels has been associated to poor physical and mental health. This study analyzed the association of physical activity and sedentary behavior with body dissatisfaction in adolescents. Methods Data from 15,632 adolescents between 11 and 17 years from the Brazilian National Scholar Health Survey - PeNSE 2015 were analyzed. Body dissatisfaction was self-reported. Sedentary behavior was assessed by hours in television (TV) viewing and in overall sitting behaviors. Physical activity was assessed by amount of time in domains of active commuting, physical education classes at school, and physical activities outside the school. Analyses were adjusted by age, ethnicity, body mass index, and scholarity of mother. Results Body dissatisfaction prevalence was 18.5%, being higher in girls than boys (24.2 vs. 12.7%, p < 0.001). Female gender (OR = 2.35), higher age-group (OR = 1.64), high scholarity of mother (OR = 1.43), and had overweight/obesity (OR = 2.38/4.81) were positively related to body dissatisfaction. Higher sedentary time was associated with body dissatisfaction in adolescents when compared to less than 2 h/day of sedentary time (OR varying from 1.45 to 2.14). Physical activity was negatively associated with adolescent body dissatisfaction in all assessed domains, with odds ratio varying from 0.66 to 0.89. Conclusions Body dissatisfaction showed an independent association of with total sedentary behavior (positively) and with different domains of physical activity (negatively) in a large scholar sample of Brazilian adolescents.

Influence of tobacco, alcohol consumption, eating habits and physical activity in nursing students

Objective:

to determine the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, eating habits, and physical activity among nursing students and to detect whether being a nursing student is a protective factor against these habits.

Method:

a questionnaire was used to collect information on age, academic year, sex, alcohol and tobacco consumption, physical activity, and healthy eating. An information sheet and informed consent form were given. The sample was composed of 264 students aged between 18-30 years from four academic years.

Results:

of the total sample, 15.5% smoked, 83.7% consumed alcoholic beverages and 97.2% consumed over the weekend. The total of 68.6% did not practice exercises and 70.5% needed changes in their diet.

Conclusion:

nursing students have high levels of alcohol consumption and low levels of smoking compared with other studies. The higher the academic year, the lower the age of onset of tobacco consumption. The number of men who exercised was higher, which is considered a protective factor against alcohol and tobacco consumption and is related to a healthy diet. Smoking has a negative influence on diet. The students needed to change their diet. Finally, being a nursing student is not considered a protective factor against alcohol and tobacco consumption, nor having good eating habits and exercising.

Predictors of One-Year Change in How Youth Perceive Their Weight

Overall, perceptions of being at "about the right weight" appear advantageous for youth physical and mental health, regardless of BMI classification, whereas perceptions at either extreme (overweight or underweight) may negatively impact health behaviours and mental health. Instead of considering weight misperceptions as problematic, some researchers have proposed that underestimations of weight status may offer resiliency among individuals with overweight or obesity. Promoting "about right" WPs and preventing change to overweight or underweight perceptions may offer an effective public health strategy for supporting youth health over time. However, limited prospective evidence exists on factors that shape perceptions of weight status over time. The current study examined modifiable predictors of one-year change in weight perception among youths. We used 2-year linked data of 18,112 grade 9-12 students from Year 3 (Y₃:2014-2015) and Year 4 (Y₄:2015-2016) of the COMPASS study. Generalized Estimating Equation models tested screen use, physical activity, and bullying victimization as predictors of change from perceptions of "about the right weight" to "overweight" or "underweight" perceptions, adjusting for Y₃ covariates (body mass index, ethnicity, and grade) and school cluster. Results support the value of team sports among females and resistance exercise among males as protective against changes to overweight or underweight perceptions over one year. Also, various forms of bullying victimization predicted overweight perceptions in males and females. Watching TV/movies or messaging/texting for over 2 hours/day was associated with overweight and underweight perceptions, respectively, in females only. Playing video/computer games for over 2 hours/day was associated with overweight perceptions in males and underweight perceptions in females. Findings support the potential of bullying prevention, limiting certain screen use, and supporting engagement in team sports for females and resistance exercise for males as strategies to maintain perceptions of being at "about the right weight."

Association of Health Status and Health Behaviors with Weight Satisfaction vs. Body Image Concern: Analysis of 5888 Undergraduates in Egypt, Palestine, and Finland

Little is known about the relationships between weight satisfaction, body image concern, healthy nutrition, health awareness, and physical activity among college students across culturally different countries. We assessed country and sex-specific associations between health status (self-rated health, depression, BMI), healthy behavior (healthy nutrition, physical activity, health awareness), weight satisfaction, and body image concern via a cross-sectional survey (5888 undergraduates) in Egypt, Palestine, and Finland. This health and wellbeing survey employed identical self-administered paper questionnaires administered at several Universities in two Eastern Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Palestine—Gaza Strip), and an online-survey comprising the same questions in Finland. Regression analyses were employed. Health status variables exhibited the strongest associations; high BMI and more depressive symptoms were more often among students satisfied with their weight (except in Palestine), but they were positively associated with body image concern irrespective of country or gender. Self-rated health was not associated with body image concern or weight satisfaction. Healthy behaviors were not associated with body image concern or weight satisfaction. Depressive symptoms and BMI were the most prominent predictors for body image concern. There were country-specific consistent results when using the body image concern score. Further research is necessary to compare body image across different cultures and countries.

Identifying the Incidence of Exercise Dependence Attitudes, Levels of Body Perception, and Preferences for Use of Fitness Technology Monitoring

Background: The study was focused on identifying the relationship between the incidence of exercise dependence attitudes, the level of body perception, and preferences for use of fitness technology monitoring. Methods: We investigated 241 students from physical education and sports specializations. We used a questionnaire structured in 5 parts: personal information (age, gender, weight, height, and institutional membership), Exercise Dependence Scale-R (EDS-21), the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), Body perception questionnaire, and Fitness Monitoring Technology. Results: Application of EDS-21 revealed 8.3% with dependence and CET with 13.4%. Body mass index (BMI) in combination with self-image body: 18 (7.4%) of subjects over-estimated themselves, 18 (7.4%) of subjects underestimated themselves, 38.6% of the subjects were satisfied with their appearance, 17% were very satisfied and none were dissatisfied. A total of 36.1% thought they had the correct weight and 8.7% thought of losing weight. The most preferred monitoring technologies were the treadmill and the smartphone's fitness applications. A total of 11.6% of the subjects always used technologies, and 17% of subjects never did so. Conclusions: In order to identify the level of incidence of exercise dependence, body perception, and preference and frequency of use of monitoring technology, it is necessary to expand the level of knowledge about health and physical activities. The approach would diminish medical incidences of addiction, improve proactive behaviors, and correct prohealth.