Exploring the relationship between body esteem and sports motivation in a sample of university students: A cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v65.111585Keywords:
Body image, body satisfaction, body self-esteem, sports motivation, university studentsAbstract
Introduction: in recent years, body self-esteem has gained significant relevance due to its impact on mental health and quality of life.
Objective: to determine whether there is a relationship between body self-esteem and sports motivation in Peruvian university students from the Nursing degree program.
Methodology: a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 225 students selected through probabilistic sampling, who were administered the Body Self-Esteem Scale and the Sports Motivation Scale, both instruments with adequate psychometric properties.
Results: statistically significant differences were observed in sports motivation, with men scoring higher compared to women. Likewise, students aged 26 to 35 reported higher scores in both body self-esteem and sports motivation, with differences also being statistically significant. Additionally, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) for both variables was determined to be 0.228 (p < 0.05). Finally, the dimensions of body satisfaction and body image also showed direct and significant correlations with sports motivation, with coefficients of 0.216 and 0.235, respectively (p < 0.05).
Discussion: various studies support the main findings, showing that higher body self-esteem is associated with stronger sports motivation (Camacho & Almagro, 2024; Urrutia et al., 2024; Klimenko et al., 2022).
Conclusions: there is a direct and significant relationship between body self-esteem and sports motivation in Peruvian university students from the Nursing degree program.
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