Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in college women: association with physical activity, inter-nalization of appearance ideals, and self-objectification
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v56.102600Keywords:
Physical Appearence, Exercise, Eating Behavior, Body Image, WomenAbstract
This study aimed to examine associations of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors with moderate to vigorous physical activity, internalization of appearance ideals, and self-objectification in college women. Participants were 472 Brazilian college women, aged 18 to 30 years (mean 21.85 years; SD = 4.46). Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test. Physical activity levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (long version). Internalization of appearance ideals was assessed using the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised-Female. Self-objectification was assessed using the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale. Spearman's correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression were conducted to examine the associations between the variables under investigation. Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors showed significant (p< 0.01) and positive correlations with all independent variables. In the multiple linear regression analysis, only the internalization of the muscular ideal was not associated with the outcome. The final model explained 41.3% of the variation of the dependent variable scores. College women may be susceptible to disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, according to their levels of physical activity, internalization of the thin/low body fat ideal, internalization of the general attractiveness ideal, and self-objectification.
Keywords: Physical Appearance. Exercise. Eating Behavior. Body Image. Women.
References
Alkazemi, D., Zafar, T. A., Ebrahim, M., & Kubow, S. (2018). Distorted weight perception correlates with disordered eating attitudes in Kuwaiti college women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 51(5), 449–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22852
Alleva, J. M., Martijn, C., Van Breukelen, G. J. P., Jansen, A., & Karos, K. (2015). Expand Your Horizon: A programme that improves body image and reduces self-objectification by training women to focus on body functionality. Body Image, 15, 81–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.07.001
Alvarenga, M. S., & Koritar, P. (2015). Atitude e comportamento alimentar – determinantes de escolhas e consumo. In: Alvarenga, M., Figueiredo, M., Timerman, F., & Antonaccio, C. Nutrição Comportamental (pp. 23-50). Barueri, SP: Manole.
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - DSM-5 (5th ed.). Washington: American Psychiatric Association.
Argyrides, M. (2013). Mass Media, Feelings of Attractiveness, Investment in Body-Image and Disordered Eating in Cyprus. Mediterranean e-journal of Communication & Media, 2, 1-11. http://hdl.handle.net/11728/6298
Bahamonde, C., Carmona, C., Albornoz, J., Hernández-Garcia, R., & Torres-Luque, G. (2019). Efecto de un programa de actividades deportivas extraescolares en jóvenes chilenos (Effect of an extracurricular sport activity program on young Chileans). Retos, 35, 261–266. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i35.62834
Bell, H. S., Donovan, C. L., & Ramme, R. (2016). Is athletic really ideal? An examination of the mediating role of body dissatisfaction in predicting disordered eating and compulsive exercise. Eating Behaviors, 21, 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2015.12.012
Bighetti, F., Santos, C. B., Santos, J. E., & Ribeiro, R. P. P. (2004). Tradução e validação do Eating Attitudes Test em adolescentes do sexo feminino de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria, 53, 339-346.
Chávez Valenzuela, M. E., Salazar C., C. M., Hoyos Ruíz, G., Bautista jacobo, A., González Lomeli, D., & Ogarrio Perkins, C. E. (2018). Actividad física y enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles de estudiantes mexicanos en función del género (Physical activity and chronic non-transmissible diseases in Mexican students by gender). Retos, 33, 169–174. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i33.55354
Cihan, B., Bozo, Ö., Schaefer, L. M., & Thompson, J. K. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R) in Turkish women. Eating Behaviors, 21, 168–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2016.03.003
Claumann, G. S. (2019). Tradução e validação das versões em português brasileiro de três instrumentos de avaliação da imagem corporal em mulheres universitárias. Doctoral thesis (Human Movement Sciences) – Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC.
Crowther, J. H., & Ridolfi, D. (2012). Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. In: Cash, T. Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance (pp. 293-299). Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
Dakanalis, A., Clerici, M., Bartoli, F., Caslini, M., Crocamo, C., Riva, G., & Carrà, G. (2017). Risk and maintenance factors for young women’s DSM-5 eating disorders. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 20(6), 721–731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-017-0761-6
Dakanalis, A., Timko, A., Serino, S., Riva, G., Clerici, M., & Carrà, G. (2016). Prospective Psychosocial Predictors of Onset and Cessation of Eating Pathology amongst College Women. European Eating Disorders Review, 24(3), 251–256. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2433
Delinsky, S. S., & Saint Germain, S. A. (2012). Anorexia Nervosa. In: Cash, T. Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance (pp. 8-14). Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
Fitzsimmons-Craft, E. E., Bardone-Cone, A. M., & Kelly, K. A. (2011). Objectified Body Consciousness in Relation to Recovery from an Eating Disorder. Eating Behaviors, 12, 302–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2011.09.001
Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. A. (1997). Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x
García González, A. J., & Froment, F. (2018). Beneficios de la actividad física sobre la autoestima y la calidad de vida de personas mayores (Benefits of physical activity on self-esteem and quality of life of older people). Retos, 33, 3–9. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i33.50969
Garner, D. M., Bohr, Y., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1982). The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric Features and Clinical Correlates. Psychological Medicine, 12(4), 871–878. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700049163
Guillen Pereira, L., Bueno Fernandez, E., Gutierrez Cruz, M., & Guerra Santiesteban, J. R. (2018). Programa de actividad física y su incidencia en la depresión y bienestar subjetivo de adultos mayores (Impact of a physical activity program on older adults’ depression and subjective well-being). Retos, 33, 14–19. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i33.49638
Homan, K. (2010). Athletic-ideal and thin-ideal internalization as prospective predictors of body dissatisfaction, dieting, and compulsive exercise. Body Image, 7(3), 240–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2010.02.004
Hosseini, S. N., Emdadi, S., Jalilian, F., Karami Matin, B., Ataee, M., & Mirzaei Alavijeh, M. (2016). Fitness intention and its relationship with eating attitudes: A cross-sectional study of Iranian female medical college students. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 10(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.17795/ijpbs-4307
Izydorczyk, B., & Sitnik-Warchulska, K. (2018). Sociocultural appearance standards and risk factors for eating disorders in adolescents and women of various ages. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(MAR), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00429
Lindner, D., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (2017). The Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 41(2), 254–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684317692109
Mathisen, T. F., Bratland-Sanda, S., Rosenvinge, J. H., Friborg, O., Pettersen, G., Vrabel, K. A., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2018). Treatment effects on compulsive exercise and physical activity in eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 6(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-018-0215-1
Matsudo, S.; Araújo, T.; Matsudo, V.; Andrade, D.; Andrade, E.; Oliveira, L. C., & Braggion, G. (2001). Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ): estudo de validade e reprodutibilidade no Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física e Saúde, 6, 5-18. https://doi.org/10.12820/rbafs.v.6n2p5-18
Ministério da Saúde (2014). Guia Alimentar para a População Brasileira (2nd ed.). Brasília, DF: Ministério da Saúde.
Pettersen, G., Sørdal, S., Rosenvinge, J. H., Skomakerstuen, T., Mathisen, T. F., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2017). How do women with eating disorders experience a new treatment combining guided physical exercise and dietary therapy? An interview study of women participating in a randomised controlled trial at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. BMJ Open, 7(12), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018588
Pritchard, M., Parker, C., & Nielsen, A. (2011). What predicts drive for muscularity in college students? Eating Behaviors, 12(3), 228–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2011.04.002
Rico-Díaz, J., Arce-Fernández, C., Padrón-Cabo, A., Peixoto-Pino, L., & Abelairas-Gómez, C. (2019). Motivaciones y hábitos de actividad física en alumnos universitarios (Motivations and physical activity habits in university students). Retos, 36, 446–453. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v36i36.69906
Rodgers, R. F., Schaefer, L. M., Thompson, J. K., Girard, M., Bertrand, M., & Chabrol, H. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) in French women and men. Body Image, 17, 143–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.03.002
Leytón Román, M., García Matador, J., Fuentes García, J. P., & Jiménez Castuera, R. (2018). Análisis de variables motivacionales y de estilos de vida saludables en practicantes de ejercicio físico en centros deportivos en función del género (Analysis of motivational variables and healthy lifestyles in sports center practitioners by gender). Retos, 34, 166–171. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i34.58281
Schaefer, L. M., Burke, N. L., Anderson, L. M., Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Bardone-Cone, A. M., Neyland, M. K. H., Frederick, D. A., Anderson, D. A., Schaumberg, K., Nerini, A., Stefanile, C., Dittmar, H., Klump, K. L., Vercellone, A. C., & Paxton, S. J. (2019). Comparing internalization of appearance ideals and appearance-related pressures among women from the United States, Italy, England, and Australia. Eating and Weight Disorders, 24(5), 947-951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0544-8
Schaefer, L. M., Burke, N. L., Calogero, R. M., Menzel, J. E., Krawczyk, R., & Thompson, J. K. (2018). Self-objectification, body shame, and disordered eating: Testing a core mediational model of objectification theory among White, Black, and Hispanic women. Body Image, 24, 5–12.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.005
Schaefer, L. M., Burke, N. L., & Thompson, J. K. (2018). Thin-ideal internalization: How much is too much? Eating and Weight Disorders, 24(5), 933–937. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0498-x
Schaefer, L. M., Harriger, J. A., Heinberg, L. J., Soderberg, T., & Kevin Thompson, J. (2017). Development and validation of the sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire-4-revised (SATAQ-4R). International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(2), 104–117. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22590
Stojcic, I., Dong, X., & Ren, X. (2020). Body Image and Sociocultural Predictors of Body Image Dissatisfaction in Croatian and Chinese Women. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(May), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00731
Thomas, J., O’Hara, L., Quadflieg, S., & Weissgerber, S. C. (2018). Acculturation, out-group positivity and eating disorders symptoms among Emirati women. Eating and Weight Disorders, 23(2), 241–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0358-5
Varga, M., Thege, B. K., Dukay-Szabó, S., Túry, F., & van Furth, E. F. (2014). When eating healthy is not healthy: Orthorexia nervosa and its measurement with the ORTO-15 in Hungary. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-59
Vartanian, L. R., & Hopkinson, M. M. (2010). Social connectedness, conformity, and internalization of societal standards of attractiveness. Body Image, 7(1), 86–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2009.10.001
Witt, J. da S. G. Z., & Schnider, A. P. (2011). Nutrição estética: Valorização do corpo e da beleza através do cuidado nutricional. Ciencia e Saude Coletiva, 16(9), 3909–3916. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232011001000027
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Retos
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
