Abstract
Evidence for a relationship between physical activity and self-concept has been demonstrated cross-sectionally. Findings from experimental studies, however, have been attenuated by 1) unidimensional self-concept measures, 2) active comparison groups, and 3) few objective measures of fitness and body composition. PURPOSE The present study tested the effects of a 9-month physical activity intervention on a set of physical self-concept domains. METHODS A sample of minimally-active adolescent females (ages 14–17) participated in either a physical activity intervention involving aerobic exercise (N= 20) or a non-active comparison condition (N= 21). Baseline, 4-month, and 9-month assessments of cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max; cycle ergometer); body fat (DEXA; dual x-ray absorptiometer); and self-reported levels of lifestyle activity (LA), exercise enjoyment, (ENJ), and physical self-concept (PSDQ; Physical Self Description Questionnaire) were obtained. RESULTS Repeated measures ANOVA's suggested that the training vs. comparison group experienced significantly greater positive changes in cardiovascular fitness (VO2; F(2, 72) = 4.06, p <.05), lifestyle activities (LA; F(2, 78) = 3.03, p <.05), and perceived physical activity (PSDQ; F(2, 78) = 3.61, p <.05). Within the training group (N = 20), forward stepwise regression revealed that the most common predictors of changes in PSDQ scales were changes in lifestyle activity (LA; β's = .40–.67, p's <.05) and changes in exercise enjoyment (ENJ; β's = .37–.76, p's <.05). CONCLUSION A 9-month intervention that increased both physical activity and fitness among sedentary adolescent females showed little evidence of increasing self-concept overall. However, the fact that within the training group, positive changes in self-concept were associated with the increased lifestyle activity and exercise enjoyment suggests conditions under which physical activity interventions may influence self-concept among adolescent females. Supported by NICHD Grant R01 HD 37746–02 (Jamner, PI)
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