Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Feb 16;13(2):e13379.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.13379.

Body Image and its Role in Physical Activity: A Systematic Review

Cassidy M Foley Davelaar  1
Affiliations
Review

Body Image and its Role in Physical Activity: A Systematic Review

Cassidy M Foley Davelaar. Cureus. .

Abstract

Despite the benefits of youth sports, most children drop out by the age of 13 years. A better understanding of the etiology of sports dropout in children will serve to improve interventions to keep children active. The objective of this review was to investigate the associations between body image and perceived physical competence and sports attrition in children. A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed and MEDLINE database searches in compliance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Included studies were full-text English articles that addressed body image or perceived competence and attrition or dropout with subjects 21 years and younger. The results were organized by age to demonstrate the changing relationship body image has on physical activity. Evidence revealed that children younger than 7 years have an inflated self-perception and are eager to participate in activities regardless of competence. Between 7 to 10 years of age, children begin to more accurately perceive their skills and draw comparisons with their peers. Elevated body mass index (BMI) becomes a deterrent between 6 to 11 years. After 12 years, teasing and gender identification issues become causes of attrition. In adolescence, body image becomes a significant determinant of continuation of physical activity, more than actual skill. Perceived physical competency and body image do not appear to affect sports attrition in children younger than 7 years. As children get older, BMI/body image and physical competency become greater factors in sports attrition, with body image playing a significant role in adolescents.

Keywords: body image; physical activity; physical literacy; sports attrition; youth sports.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Study Selection 2009 Flow Diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Correlates of gross motor competence in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Barnett LM, Lai SK, Veldman SLC, et al. Sports Med. 2016;46:1663–1688. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gender differences in adolescent sport participation, teasing, self-objectification and body image concerns. Slater A, Tiggemann M. J Adolesc. 2011;34:455–463. - PubMed
    1. A developmental perspective on the role of motor skill competence in physical activity: an emergent relationship. Stodden DF, Goodway JD, Langendorfer SJ, Roberton MA, Rudisill ME, Garcia C, Garcia LE. Quest. 2008;60:290–306.
    1. Motor competence and its effect on positive developmental trajectories of health. Robinson LE, Stodden DF, Barnett LM, Lopes VP, Logan SW, Rodrigues LP, D’Hondt E. Sports Med. 2015;45:1273–1284. - PubMed
    1. Silby C. The Young Female Athlete. Cham: Springer; 2016. Mental skills training: games girls play—the why, what, and when of mental fitness; pp. 45–56.

LinkOut - more resources