Participation in aesthetic sports and girls' weight concerns at ages 5 and 7 years.
OBJECTIVE
The relationship between participation in aesthetic, or appearance-oriented, sports and weight concerns was assessed among young girls.


METHODS
Participants were part of a larger longitudinal study and included 197 and 192 girls and their mothers when girls were 5 and 7 years, respectively. At each age, girls' weight concerns and sport participation were assessed and girls were classified as participating in aesthetic sports (dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, baton twirling, swimming, aerobics, figure skating), non-aesthetic sports (volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball, hockey, tennis, martial arts, track) or no sports.


RESULTS
Girls in the aesthetic sport group reported higher weight concerns than girls in the nonaesthetic and no sport groups at ages 5 and 7 years. In addition, girls participating in aesthetic sports at ages 5 and 7 years reported the highest weight concerns at age 7.


CONCLUSIONS
Participation in aesthetic, or appearance-oriented, sports may foster a heightened focus on weight and body shape among girls.
Davison
Kirsten Krahnstoever
KK
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Earnest
Mandy B
MB
Birch
Leann L
LL
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States