Actual, Perceived and Desired Body Image in Female, Adolescent Student-Athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: Adolescence marks a time of rapid and intense emotional and physical changes. There is increased value on peer acceptance and approval, especially for student-athletes who may exhibit additional pressure from sport participation. The purpose of the study assessed actual (ABI), perceived (PBI), and desired body image (DBI) in everyday clothing verses competitive uniforms in female, adolescent student-athletes. METHODS: We recruited a total of 279 participants during pre-participation physical examinations from low socio-economic status school districts in South Carolina. Participants completed a Gender-Specific BMI based Silhouette questionnaire along with self-reported and measured anthropometric variables. BMI was calculated using measured height and weight, and defined as ABI. Each participant ranked PBI and DBI in sport uniform (SU) and regular clothing (RC). Participants were grouped by age: 11-13 (n=101), 14-15 (n=96), and 16-18 (n=82). RESULTS: Paired sample tests assessed body image between the ABI, PBI, and DBI variables in addition to self reported height and weight. In the 11-13 age group, participants significantly underestimated weight (52.5+14.5 vs. 55.2+14.2, P<0.05), while in the 14-15 (58.1+15.2 vs. 58.8+13.7) and 16-18 (62.1+15.0 vs. 63.2+12.3) groups estimated and measured weight were not significantly different. ABI and PBI were moderately correlated for groups one and two (r=0.75 and r=0.69), and somewhat correlated for group 3 (r=.051). PBI was higher than DBI in all groups for RC (age 11-13: 22.4+2.9 vs. 21.5+1.8, age 14-15: 22.1+2.4 vs. 21.5+1.7, age 16-18: 22.7+3.2 vs. 21.6+2.2, P<0.0125). PBI was also higher than DBI in all groups for SU (age 11-13: 22.4+2.7 vs. 21.6+1.9, age 14-15: 22.1+2.4 vs. 21.4+1.7, age 16-18: 22.5+3.1 vs. 21.4+1.8, P<0.125). No significant difference were found in either PBI or DBI between SU and RC. CONCLUSIONS: The Gender-Specific BMI based Silhouette demonstrated accurate measures of body image in adolescent between the ages of 11-15; however, between the ages of 16-18 there was more variation of body image. More specifically, student-athletes desired a smaller body image than they perceived in both SU and RC in each of the three age groups, though they did not perceive or desire a different body image based on type of clothing.