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
. 2023 Feb 14;15(4):952.
doi: 10.3390/nu15040952.

The Mediating Role of Eating Attitudes in Sociocultural Attitudes toward the Body in Predicting Obligatory Exercise among Young People: A Polish and Chinese Comparison

Shuai Guo  1   2 , Agata Kamionka  2 , Bernadetta Izydorczyk  3 , Malgorzata Lipowska  4 , Sebastian Lizinczyk  5 , Bartosz M Radtke  6 , Urszula Sajewicz-Radtke  6 , Mariusz Lipowski  7
Affiliations

The Mediating Role of Eating Attitudes in Sociocultural Attitudes toward the Body in Predicting Obligatory Exercise among Young People: A Polish and Chinese Comparison

Shuai Guo et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The main aims of this study were to determine which sociocultural predictors of obligatory exercise are universal for young men or women and which are specific to particular cultural conditions (Polish or Chinese culture) and to examine the mediating role of eating attitudes. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Poles (n = 259) and Chinese (n = 208) aged 18 to 30. Descriptive and comparative statistics, Spearman's rho, and multiple regression analysis were used. The main analyses showed that Internalization-Athlete was a common positive direct predictor of obligatory exercise among young Polish and Chinese women; Information and Internalization-Athlete were only specific direct positive predictors of obligatory exercise in young Chinese men; some variables in eating attitudes mediated the development of obligatory exercise in young Polish and Chinese men and women and indicated that there were cross-cultural differences. In understanding obligatory exercise among young people, attention should be paid to their sociocultural attitudes toward the body and eating, and cultural and gender differences need to be considered.

Keywords: body; cross-cultural; eating attitudes; mass media; obligatory exercise; sociocultural attitudes toward the body.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theoretical model of the research variables (own elaboration).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sociocultural (Internalization—General, Information, Pressures, and Internalization—Athlete) and eating attitude (Dieting, Bulimia and Food Preoccupation, and Oral Control) predictors of obligatory exercise among young Polish men and women (n = 265). Note: Non-standardized estimates are presented—* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001—to improve the readability of the presentation; only paths with significance levels <0.05 were retained.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sociocultural (Internalization—General, Information, Pressures, and Internalization—Athlete) and eating attitudes (Dieting, Bulimia and Food Preoccupation, and Oral Control) predictors of obligatory exercise among young Chinese men and women (n = 355). Note: Non-standardized estimates are presented—* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001—to improve the readability of the presentation; only paths with significance levels <0.05 were retained.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Wilson M.G., Ellison G.M., Cable N.T. Basic science behind the cardiovascular benefits of exercise. Br. J. Sport. Med. 2016;50:93–99. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-306596rep. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stubbs B., Vancampfort D., Smith L., Rosenbaum S., Schuch F., Firth J. Physical activity and mental health. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5:873. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30343-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Maher J.P., Pincus A.L., Ram N., Conroy D.E. Daily physical activity and life satisfaction across adulthood. Dev. Psychol. 2015;51:1407–1419. doi: 10.1037/dev0000037. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nakagawa T., Koan I., Chen C., Matsubara T., Hagiwara K., Lei H., Hirotsu M., Yamagata H., Nakagawa S. Regular moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity rather than walking is associated with enhanced cognitive functions and mental health in young adults. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020;17:614. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17020614. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Flockhart M., Nilsson L.C., Tais S., Ekblom B., Apró W., Larsen F.J. Excessive exercise training causes mitochondrial functional impairment and decreases glucose tolerance in healthy volunteers. Cell Metab. 2021;33:957–970.e956. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.02.017. - DOI - PubMed

Supplementary concepts