Social physique anxiety and sociocultural attitudes toward appearance impact on orthorexia test in fitness participants

Abstract

This study investigates how scores on the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS) and the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) relate to Bratman's orthorexia test (BOT) scores with regard to age, sex, and self-reported exercise frequency and duration in a sample of Swedish participants in fitness center activities. A total of 251 participants (166 women and 85 men) completed the SPAS, the SATAQ, and a questionnaire focusing on exercise frequency and duration. The results indicated that the SATAQ subdomain internalization could itself explain the variation in BOT results. In women, the results indicated that exercise frequency, followed by SPAS score and the SATAQ subdomains internalization and awareness, could together explain the variation in BOT results. Fitness centers could make a point of emphasizing that some physical ideals are neither healthy nor realistic, thus strengthening member self-image and preventing social physique anxiety, eating disorders, and negative attitudes toward appearance.