Body image and weight reduction attempts among adolescent girls involved in physical activity.
The aim of the current study was to examine associations between adolescent girls' body image and the character of engagement in physical activity in a representative sample of Kaunas high school girls.


METHODS
A total of 405 girls (mean age 16.9+/-0.4) filled in a self-constructed questionnaire (reliability 90.3%), aimed at assessing the engagement in physical activity and weight related body image.


RESULTS
Most kinds of sports emphasizing body image such as fitness, dancing, gymnastics were most popular among the irregular participants (82.7%), and among regular participant, too (62.7%). The main reason to engage in physical activity was to improve the body image (45.2%), while the health improvement motive was left out in the second place (33.6%). Satisfaction with the body shape and the overall appearance strongly depended on body mass index (BMI, kg/m2), but not on the participation or the character of participation in physical activity. Irregular participants showed more attempts to reduce weight compared to regular exercisers and nonparticipants, while both groups participating in sport reported healthier ways of weight reduction practice.


CONCLUSIONS
Satisfaction with body shape and overall appearance strongly depends on body mass index, but not on the participation in physical activity. Irregular engagement in physical activity could be an indicator of more frequent attempts to reduce body weight among adolescent girls.
Jankauskiene
Rasa
R
Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education, Sporto 6, 44221 Kaunas, Lithuania. rasajankaus@hotmail.com
Kardelis
Kestutis
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss