Observational studyBMC public health2021
Body appreciation and body appearance pressure in Norwegian university students comparing exercise science students and other students.
Observational study in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04256967 (Body Appearance Pressure and Body Image Among University Students), which is not on this map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Body Appearance Pressure and Body Image Among University Students
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Physical Activity and Body Image Perceived by University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Resilience, physical activity and life satisfaction in Greek nursing students: the mediating role of body appreciation.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Body Appreciation, Weight Status, and Weight Management Practices Among First-Year Students at Universities of Applied Sciences in Lithuania.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- #BodyPositivity: The Role of Body Appreciation and Body Mass Index for Muscle Dysmorphia, Body Attitudes and Exercise Motives Among Men.Nutrients · 2025Article
- The impact of weight self-stigma on appearance anxiety among female college students: a variable-centered and person-centered analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- The Risk of Disordered Eating in Fitness Club Members-A Cross-Sectional Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire-4-revised (SATAQ-4R): validation in a community sample of Norwegian adolescents.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Article
- Mediating effect of depression between self-esteem, physical appearance comparison and intuitive eating in adults.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Social cure model: testing the link between identity centrality and body appreciation in diverse sexual orientation and gender identity groups.International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- The Moderating Effect of Body Appreciation on the Relationship between Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- Further evidence of the association between social media use, eating disorder pathology and appearance ideals and pressure: a cross-sectional study in Norwegian adolescents.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Recent insights in the correlation between social media use, personality traits and exercise addiction: a literature review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Review
- Exercise motivation, physical exercise, and mental health among college students: examining the predictive power of five different types of exercise motivation.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Implications of Socio-Cultural Pressure for a Thin Body Image on Avoidance of Social Interaction and on Corrective, Compensatory or Compulsive Shopping Behaviour.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Factors associated with positive body image among Palestinian university female students, cross-sectional study.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2023Article
- Body image construction and mental health levels among college students: a data survey of Chinese university students.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Predictors of body image dissatisfaction in kinesiology students.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Hiking, indoor biking, and body liking: a cross-sectional study examining the link between physical activity arenas and adults' body appreciation.Journal of eating disorders · 2022Article
- Empowered, Yet Vulnerable: Motives for Sport Participation, Health Correlates, and Experience of Sexual Harassment in Female Combat-Sport Athletes.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBody image is considered a core issue for public health and associates with university students' overall health. Due to positive associations between exercise and body image, it has been suggested that students within an exercise science program might be more body appreciative compared to other students. On the other hand, the strong societal idealization of the athletic body may expose them to a pressure of having a specific body appearance, which may result in unfavorable health consequences. Nevertheless, studies investigating these hypotheses are lacking. We therefore aimed to explore the level and associations of body appreciation, body appearance pressure, body image related mental health constructs, physical activity, and exercise, in Norwegian university exercise science and non-health reference students.
methodMale and female exercise science students (n = 517) and reference students (n = 476), from nine large universities in Norway took part in this cross-sectional study. Participants responded to the Body appreciation scale-2, a self-developed questionnaire on body appearance pressure, Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised, Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire-4R, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and questions about physical activity and exercise. Between group differences were analyzed using student independent t-test and ANCOVA for parametric data and Chi-square test for categorical data, and associations were evaluated by Person's correlation. P-values ≤0.05 were defined as significant.
resultsFemale exercise science students had higher scores on body appreciation compared to reference students. No group difference was found in males. A high percentage of students reported experiencing body appearance pressure, with 69 and 85% among male and female exercise science students, and 57 and 83% among male and female reference students. Fitness centers were the settings where most respondents experienced body appearance pressure. Body appreciation was strongly associated with favorable scores on body image related mental health constructs, while personally experienced body appearance pressure associated with destructive scores on the same constructs.
conclusionBody appearance pressure is an issue among university students regardless of study program. Actions to promote body appreciation and prevent body appearance pressure may include an implementation of media literacy, body functionality, and exercise as topics within the education program to safeguard students' health and well-being. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY: No. NCT04256967 .
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