Recreational Physical Activity and the Mediterranean Diet: Their Effects on Obesity-Related Body Image Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders

Abstract

Obesity is a non-communicable disease that is associated with a number of serious physical and mental health conditions. The present study examines the effect of recreational physical activity and the Mediterranean diet on body image dissatisfaction and propensity for eating disorders. It is based on 1311 participants categorized by body mass index (BMI) into a normal ΒΜΙ group (NBG; N = 513), an overweight and obese ΒΜΙ group (OBG; N = 492), and a control group (CG; N = 309). All participants completed the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scale (MBSRQ-AS), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES), Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), Mediterranean Diet Score (MedDietScore), and Fitness Evaluation and Fitness Orientation subscales from the original Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated that the overall prediction of the variables was statistically significant. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) demonstrated the existence of significant interactions between groups and gender across a range of scales. Despite higher body image dissatisfaction in the OBG group, they maintained positive self-esteem and did not exhibit eating disorder tendencies. Notably, women reported greater dissatisfaction than men across all three groups. Our findings have practical implications for public health promotion strategies, policymaking, future research, and clinical practice. Encouraging regular exercise and adherence to the Mediterranean diet could improve body satisfaction and reduce eating disorder risk. Policymakers can advocate for community-based policies promoting physical activity and healthy eating habits.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; body image; exercise; health promotion; lifestyle; obesity.

Figure 1

Comparison of MBSRQ-AS scores between the three groups, stratified by gender. NBG = blue bar, OBG = red bar, CG = green bar. Ap.Ev. = Appearance Evaluation, Ap.Or. = Appearance Orientation, BASS = Body Areas Satisfaction Scale, O.W.P. = Overweight Preoccupation, S.C.W. = Self-Classified Weight. * = significant difference between NBG and OBG. $ = significant difference between NBG and CG. # = significant difference between OBG and CG.