An Investigation of the Relationship Between Body Composition, Social Physique Anxiety, and Exercise Motives

Abstract

Health and fitness professionals widely promote physical activity recommendations as put forth by ACSM, however, according to recent data from the CDC, only 20.2% of U.S. adults currently meet the combined recommendation for aerobic exercise and strength training on a weekly basis. The possibilities of factors that may impact this lack of exercise compliance is infinite. Variations among individuals in terms of body composition and psychological variables may have synergistic functions and may differ by age. PURPOSE: Investigate the relationship between body composition, exercise motivations, social physique anxiety (SPA), exercise confidence, and exercise stage of change (SOC) among adults across the age span. METHODS: 192 participants (males = 89, females = 103) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Stages of Change for Exercise—Short Form, Social Physique Anxiety Scale, Exercise Confidence Survey, and Exercise Motivations Inventory-2, and body composition via DEXA. RESULTS: One-way ANOVA revealed that males were more motivated by social recognition (p = 0.003), affiliation (p = 0.029), and competition (p < 0.001); females were more motivated by weight management (p = 0.050) and appearance (p < 0.001). Males also had lower SPA (28.20 ± 9.71 vs. 35.25 ± 10.87) (p < 0.001), higher exercise confidence (24.91 ± 13.31 vs. 30.42 ± 17.32) (p = 0.016), and were more likely to be maintainers for SOC (p = 0.006). Age was correlated to weight management (r = 0.305, p < 0.001), ill-health avoidance (r = 0.271, p < 0.001), social recognition (r = -0.258, p < 0.001), health pressures (r = 0.219, p = 0.002), nimbleness (r = 0.204, p = 0.004), challenge (r = -0.232, p = 0.001), and appearance (r = 0.172, p = 0.017). %BF was correlated to weight management (r = 0.495, p < 0.001), enjoyment (r = -0.427, p < 0.001), competition (r = -0.374, p < 0.001), revitalization (r = -0.351, p < 0.001), social recognition (r = -0.303, p < 0.001), challenge (r = -0.280, p < 0.001), stress management (r = -0.274, p = 0.001), affiliation (r = -0.159, p = 0.027), and ill-health avoidance (r = 0.153, p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: While exercise motivations changed and %BF increased with age, overall males had different exercise motivations, lower SPA, lower %BF, higher exercise confidence, and were more likely to be maintainers than females, regardless of age.