The effect of physical activity on positive body image in adolescent girls

Abstract

Background. Our study was purposed to trace the dynamics in the body image of adolescent girls engaged in sport fencing. Positive body image is considered to be essential for mental health in adolescence and adulthood.

Objective. Physical activity and sports may affect the   body image. But participation in aesthetic sports (figure skating, gymnastics) leads to less positive body image among girls. However, little is known about the effect of non-aesthetic sports on the   positiveе body image. Responses from our respondents indicate that non-aesthetic sports such as fencing may enlarge body acceptance, body functionality appraisal, and positive constitution appraisal. Also important, is that physical activity in fencing made body image more realistic.

Design. The study involved 83 adolescent girls aged 12-16 years. An experimental group included 38 adolescent girls who started fencing classes. The control group consisted of 45 girls of the same age who did not do sports or dance. Girls were examined on the day they begin their sports and 9 months after their start. We use “Measurements by M. Feldenkraiz” and the psychosemantic instrument “My body” by K. N. Belogai. Also, the interview gave us information about participants’ height, weight as well as attitudes towards their bodies, their lifestyles, and their body compliance with internal and external beauty standards.   

Results. In the beginning, adolescent girls had mostly negative body images: they did not evaluate its functionality, activity, and did not accept their body. But Student’s t-test for the dependent samples showed that among girls who practiced fencing for nine months, body acceptance, appraisal of body functionality and activity increased significantly, and the gap between perceived body proportions and the real ones decreased. Initially, girls appraised their bodies and limbs as longer than they actually were.

Conclusion. Fencing classes for 9 months changed girls’ body image to more realistic and subjectively acceptable. The findings suggest that integration of physical activity of functional sports in everyday life or therapy might be one route to facilitate positive body image development. This may support wellbeing among adolescents.