Effect of Physical Activity Behaviors, Team Sports, and Sitting Time on Body Image and Exercise Dependence

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate whether the type and degree of physical activity commitment (i.e., team sport athletes, highly active individuals, sedentary behavior) influence body image and exercise behavior. A total of 96 participants (46 women and 50 men; age: 22.7 ± 2.7 years; height: 170 ± 8.6 cm; weight: 67.6 ± 10.8 kg) were divided in six groups: female volleyball and male football players (student athletes classified as Tier 2), highly physically active women and men, with high sitting time completed the Body Image Dimensional Assessment and the 21-item Exercise Dependence Scale to evaluate body dissatisfaction and level of dependency on exercise. The Body Image Dimensional Assessment is a silhouette-based scale, where three direct indices are derived from the participants' responses: body dissatisfaction, sexual body dissatisfaction, and comparative body dissatisfaction. The Exercise Dependence Scale is a six-point Likert scale that evaluates seven dimensions of exercise dependence (tolerance, withdrawal, intention effects, lack of control, time, reductions in other activities, and continuance) and provides an overall score. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine the effects of different levels of physical activity, team sport participation (volleyball and football), and sedentary behavior (i.e., high sitting time) on participants' body image indices and dimensions of exercise dependence according to sex. Volleyball players showed significantly higher body dissatisfaction than football players (d = 0.99) and the physically active men group (d = 2.31), who had lower values than sedentary women group (d = 1.68). Football players had lower comparative body dissatisfaction values than volleyball players (d = 1.70) and sedentary women (d = 1.69), who had higher values than sedentary men (d = 1.04). Sedentary women had a significantly lower exercise dependence scale score than volleyball players (d = 1.71), football players (d = 1.12), and physically active men (d = 1.21). The findings highlight the impact of regular physical activity on body dissatisfaction and the variance in body image perceptions between the sexes. Moreover, the high exercise dependence values found in volleyball and football players and physically active men suggest an effect of intense training and maladaptive exercise behaviors, underlining the need for comprehensive strategies to address exercise dependence.

Keywords: IPAQ; body perception; exercise addiction; football; sitting duration; student athletes; team sport; volleyball.

Figure 1

Flow chart of the recruitment and selection process of the participants included in the study. FPG = football players’ group, VPG = volleyball players’ group; PAG = physically active group; SG = sedentary group, HEPA = health-enhancing physical activity.

Figure 2

Timeline of the experimental procedures.

Figure 3

Radar chart of Body Image Dimensional Assessment indices, body dissatisfaction, sexual body dissatisfaction, and comparative body dissatisfaction, of team sport athletes, physically active participants, and participants with a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. Solid, dotted and dashed lines represent body dissatisfaction, sexual body dissatisfaction and comparative body dissatisfaction, respectively.

Figure 4

Radar chart of seven dimensions of 21-item Exercise Dependence Scale: tolerance, withdrawal effects, intention effects, lack of control, time, reductions in other activities, and continuance for athletes engaged in team sports, physically active participants, and participants with a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. Solid black, dotted black, solid grey, dotted grey, dotted and dashed, dashed grey, and dashed black lines represent withdrawal effects, tolerance, reductions in other activities, intention effects, continuance, lack of control, and time, respectively.