Amateur ballet practicing, body image and eating behaviors: a comparative study of classical ballet dancers, gym users and sedentary women

Diana Quitéria Cabral Ferreira,Ana Luísa De Sousa Praseres,Carlos Henrique De Medeiros Torres,Marcos De Paiva Lima Filho,Rafaela Nayara Da Costa Pelonha,Adriana Bezerra Nunes,Ana Carolina Costa Campos Mota,Rannapaula Lawrynhuk Urbano Ferreira,Erikarla Baracho Avelino,Ruty Eulália De Medeiros Eufrásio,Sancha Helena De Lima Vale,Bruna Leal Lima Maciel,Maria Clara Da Cruz Carvalho,Leilane Lílian Araújo Leal

doi:10.1186/s40337-021-00459-9

Diana Quitéria Cabral Ferreira, Ana Luísa De Sousa Praseres + Show 12 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00459-9

Copy DOI

Abstract

BackgroundBallet dancers are a risk group for body image (BI) distortion, dissatisfaction and eating disorders (ED), but few studies have investigated these aspects in amateur adult practitioners. This study aimed to evaluate if amateur female adult classical ballet dancers presented different BI and behaviors for ED than gym users and sedentary women.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study where classical ballet dancers (n = 19) were compared to gym users (n = 19) and sedentary women (n = 19). Body mass index (BMI) was assessed, and a figure rating scale was applied to assess BI distortion/dissatisfaction. The body shape questionnaire (BSQ) was used to measure BI concern. The eating attitudes test (EAT-26) and the bulimic investigatory test, Edinburgh (BITE) were used for behaviors toward anorexia and bulimia.ResultsBMI was significantly lower in ballet dancers than gym users and sedentary women (F, p = .04). BI distortion did not differ among the studied groups. BI dissatisfaction was lower (X2, p = .041) in ballet dancers (75.0%) and gym users (70.6%) compared to sedentary women (100%). Correspondence analysis showed ballet dancers were mostly not concerned with BI, which was not observed among the other groups. The EAT-26 did not differ between the studied groups. The BITE score was lower (Tukey’s post hoc test, p = .005) in the ballet dancers [mean 5.3 (5.6)] compared to the sedentary women [mean 10.9 (4.8)].ConclusionsData suggest that amateur classical ballet practicing is associated to better BI and fewer behaviors for ED in the studied population. The lower BMI in ballet dancers might explain these findings, and further studies should explore these associations.

Highlights

Ballet dancers are a risk group for body image (BI) distortion, dissatisfaction and eating disorders (ED), but few studies have investigated these aspects in amateur adult practitioners
This study aimed to evaluate if amateur female classical ballet dancers presented different BI perception and eating disordered behaviors compared to gym users and sedentary women
Ballet dancers presented significantly lower Body mass index (BMI), of M = 20.9 (SD = 2.4) when compared to sedentary women, of M = 23.2 (SD = 3.5) (F(2, 53) = 3.41, p = 0.040, ηp2 = 0.11; Tukey’s post-hoc test, p = 0.031). %Body fat percentage (BF) was lower in ballet dancers when compared to sedentary women (Mdn = 31.2% vs. Mdn = 38.9%; H(2) = 12.78, p = 0.002, η2 = 0.67; Dunn’s post-hoc test, p = 0.002; Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Ballet dancers are a risk group for body image (BI) distortion, dissatisfaction and eating disorders (ED), but few studies have investigated these aspects in amateur adult practitioners. A lean body with low body fat is considered aesthetically essential to perform the movements [1, 2]. These body characteristics may put ballet dancers under pressure to maintain the desired body shape and can possibly affect body image (BI) [3]. Higher BI concern, dissatisfaction [8, 9], and distortion [10] is especially present in the professional ballet environment, where there is pressure to maintain a lean body, increasing the risk for ED [8, 9, 11,12,13]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion