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The purpose of this study was to explore body image correlates of voluntary consumption of physique-salient media. A secondary aim was to assess changes in affect following media consumption. Young adult men ( n = 47; mean age = 20.2 years) and women ( n = 87; mean age = 19.5 years) were discretely exposed to images of same-sex models with idealized- and average-physiques while completing an irrelevant computer task. Voluntary gaze at the images was covertly recorded via hidden cameras. Participants also completed measures of affect before and after the computer task. Measures of body-related envy, body appreciation, and self-perceptions of attractiveness, thinness, and physical strength were completed. Men and women did not differ in how often nor for how long they looked at the images overall, but body image variables were differentially associated with their voluntary gaze behaviors. For men, higher body-related envy and lower body appreciation were correlated with more looks at the average-physique model. Although women reported higher body-related envy than men, envy and body appreciation were not significant correlates of gaze behaviors for women. Both men and women experienced a general affective decrease over time, but only for men was the change in negative affect associated with their time spent looking at the ideal-physique image. Overall, these findings suggest that body-related envy and body appreciation influence how men choose to consume physique-salient media, and that media consumption may have negative consequences for post-exposure affect. Body image factors appear to be more strongly associated with behavior in men, perhaps because men are generally less often exposed to physique-salient media and, in particular, to average-physique images.

Objective : To examine the moderating effect of internalized media messages on ideal body shape and lifestyle in the relationships between physical exercise, self-esteem, physical self-perceptions, and body image satisfaction. Design : pre-test/posttest control group experimental design. Methods : 46 inactive women (mean age = 21.4 ± 2.1 years-old) volunteered to participate in this study and were randomly assigned to Exercise (n = 23) or Wait-list (n = 23) groups. The Exercise group participated in two 50 minutes long exercise sessions per week for six weeks. During this period women in the Wait-list group did not participate in any regular physical activity. The French version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile (ISP-25) and the Body Image Assessment Scale (BIAS-BD) were administered to participants before and after intervention. In addition, the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) was completed to assess participants' level of internalization of media standards. Results and Discussion : Women in the Exercise group improved more in outcomes than those in the Wait-list group. Effects were only marginally moderated by levels of media internalization. Potential explanations for these findings are reviewed and discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of within-person change, and associations of change, in global self-esteem (GSE), physical self-perceptions (PSP), and physical activity in a sample of 705 Canadian adolescent girls over three measurements points and 24 months. The Physical Self-Perceptions Profile (PSPP) was used to measure GSE and PSP, and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) was used to assess physical activity. Latent growth curve models were used to analyze the data. All PSP variables except for body attractiveness demonstrated significant average decline, but also significant was the change in between-person heterogeneity. Change in GSE and PSP was moderately to strongly related on a between-person level and weakly to moderately associated on a within-person level. Change in physical activity was related to change in the majority of the PSP variables but not to change in GSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this study was to propose and test a mediation model of changes in physical self-efficacy, physical self-perceptions, and affect as mediators by which a single bout of exercise improves state body image. A secondary purpose was to identify how long improvements in state body image are sustained post-exercise. Sixty university-aged women (19.57 ± 1.37 y) with pre-existing body image concerns, and who exercised regularly, were randomized to perform 30 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise or quiet reading. State body image, physical self-efficacy, physical self-perceptions and affect were assessed. Mediational analyses revealed self-perceptions of body fatness (95% CI [0.03, 0.44], κ 2 = 0.13, ab ps = 0.20) and strength (95% CI [0.15, 0.60], κ 2 = 0.23, ab ps = 0.33) mediated improvements in state body image which were sustained at least 20 min post-exercise. These results contribute to the development of a model explaining the effects of exercise on body image and practical recommendations for the use of exercise to improve body image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of relationships among objectified body consciousness (OBC), a model of physical self-conceptions, and self-reported physical activity were examined in a cross-sectional study with U.S. undergraduate women ( n = 231) and men ( n = 163). As hypothesized, women reported significantly higher levels of OBC body surveillance and body shame than men with no significant difference in OBC appearance control beliefs levels between women and men. Canonical correlation analysis revealed significant and different relationships between the set of OBC variables and the set of physical self-concept variables for women and men. The strength of association between the two sets of variables accounted for 48% of the shared variance for women and 29% for men. The multivariate relationship between OBC and physical activity was non-significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research examining the impact of physical activity on body image dissatisfaction and physical self-perceptions has been both limited and equivocal. The current research investigated the effects of 6-week aerobic dance on these variables with 50 British schoolgirls aged 13–14 years. A cross-over design was used with two equivalent groups taught normal physical education and aerobic dance in a different order. The Body Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ) and Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile (CY-PSPP) were administered as pre, mid and post-test to each participant in each group before the first intervention, at the change over and after 12 weeks. The results of this study revealed that participation in 6 weeks of aerobic dance significantly reduced body image dissatisfaction (Attractiveness, Feeling Fat, Salience and Strength and Fitness) and enhanced physical self-perceptions (Body Attractiveness and Physical Self-Worth), although these improvements were not sustained. The implications and future research directions are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]