•  
  •  
 

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This study investigated differences between male and female athletes and nonathletes on body image and dieting behavior. Participants were male (n=20) and female (n=24) athletes and male (n=20) and female (n=40) non-athletes from a small college campus. They completed a 43-item survey measuring body image, dieting behavior, and self-esteem. Compared to non-athletes, athletes were less likely to perceive themselves as overweight, less likely to want to lose weight, and less likely to think about dieting. Females were found to be at a higher risk for developing eating disorders than males; however, there was no significant difference between athletes and non-athletes. No differences in self-esteem were found across gender or between athletes and non-athletes. A correlation was found between self-esteem and risk for developing an eating disorder. As the level of self-esteem goes up, the less susceptible a participant is to developing an eating disorder. These results show that body image and dieting behaviors are important factors in the lives of college students.

Publication Date

1998

Journal Title

Conference Proceedings: Undergraduate Social Science Research Conference

Volume

2

Issue

1

First Page

223

Last Page

228

Copyright

©1998 by the University of Northern Iowa

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Publisher

University of Northern Iowa

City

Cedar Falls, IA

Download

Comments?

Share

COinS