Body appreciation as a multifactorial construct in adolescent athletes and their athletic achievements

Abstract

Given the strong cultural and social messages that encourage men and women to feel dissatisfied with their bodies, the cases of affection are increasing, since the standards and stereotypes imposed by society are not always adequate when talking about health or are even so far from reality and encourage some people to attempt against their health and physical integrity for the mere fact of complying with them, and adolescent athletes are no strangers to this situation. This was a quantitative cross-sectional observational study with a participation of 354 adolescent athletes between 10 and 19 years of age, of whom 51.4% were male and 48.6% female. A sociodemographic survey and the Body Appreciation Scale were applied. The results showed a high level of body appreciation in the participants and significant relationships with the years of sports practice and the result of the last competition. To conclude, although this research found variables that can influence the level of body appreciation, it is important to investigate further and include other aspects such as relationships with peers, coaches, family members and social networks, since the feelings and thoughts of adolescent athletes about their bodies influence their mental health and consequently their sports performance.