Body Related Well-Being and Body Composition in Women Athletes
Date
2024-09-25
Authors
Leonzio, Melissa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0009-1687-9025
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Background - It is recognized that girls and women experience pressures related to sport, but little is currently known about how women athletes perceive their body related well-being and body composition, and if their views differ depending on sport classification (e.g., individual versus team sport athletes). Body related well-being is a term that encompasses aspects related to a healthy positive view of one’s body such as body appreciation and intuitive eating. Having a positive body related well-being might also have a positive impact on body composition, body image, and maintaining a healthy relationship with one’s body. Therefore, understanding the relationship between the different aspects of body related well-being and its relationship to body composition is a critical first step in supporting women athletes’ sport experience. As such, the aim of this thesis was threefold: (1) to assess whether there is a discrepancy in perceived and objectively measured body mass index (BMI); (2) to examine if there is a relationship between women athletes’ body related well-being and their body composition; and (3) to determine if these relationships vary by sporting classification (individual and team sport).
Methods - Twenty-eight participants, including eight team sport (age range = 19.1 to 30.7 years) and twenty individual sport (age range = 18.3 to 36.4 years) athletes were recruited for the study. Individuals were eligible to participate if they were a woman athlete between the ages of 14 and 40 with at least one year of sport experience in their current primary sport and competing between the recreational and international level. Participants answered questionnaires assessing demographics, self-reported height and weight, and body related well-being (Body Appreciation Scale-2 and Intuitive Eating Scale-2). The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) examines the respect of one’s body and comfortability in one’s body, allowing researchers to evaluate the participants’ views on their body. The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) was developed to measure intuitive eating in accordance with three different variables: unconditional permission to eat, readiness to eat in response to internal physiological hunger cues, and the food that is desired at the moment. Participants then had measures of their height and weight taken and BMI was calculated as kg/m2 for both the self-reported and researcher measured values. Lastly, a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan was obtained. Athletes were then classified as individual or team sport athletes using the position outlined by Evan et al. (2012).
The data analyses was performed using SPSS version 28 and significance was set at p<0.05. Demographic variables (age, height, weight, and years of sport experience in sport) were compared between groups (individual vs. team sport athletes) using independent sample t-tests. Differences in self-reported and researcher measured BMI were assessed using a paired sample t-test. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare body composition variables and body related well-being (BAS-2 and IES-2) between individual and team sport athletes. Bivariate Pearson correlations for whole group, team sport athletes, and individual sport athletes were performed to assess the relationship between body composition and body related well-being. Lastly, we investigated how sport classification (team vs. individual) influenced body related well-being and body composition using MANCOVA (multiple analysis of covariance). These measurements included DXA body percent fat, BMI, BMI discrepancy, BAS-2, and IES-2 while controlling for age, height, weight, and years of sporting experience.
Results - There was no significant group difference for age; however, height, weight, and years of experience in sport were significantly different between team sport and individual sport athletes (p>0.05). There were no significant group differences for any of the body composition variables. Four individual sport athletes were classified as having a low BMI (15.5 kg/m2, 16.9 kg/m2, 17.5 kg/m2, and 18.2 kg/m2). Additionally, while not significantly different, individual sport athletes slightly underestimated their BMI, with a researcher measured BMI of 19.28 ± 2.25 compared to BMI calculated from self-reported weight and height of 18.79 ± 2.20 resulting in a discrepancy of -0.48 ± 0.65. While not significantly different, team sport athletes had a higher average BMI when compared to individual athletes, with a mean BMI of 20.61 ± 1.35. Team sport athletes also slightly underestimated their BMI with a mean of 20.36 ± 1.64, calculated from self-reported height and weight, resulting in discrepancy of -0.25 ± 1.04. There were no significant group differences for the BAS-2 and IES-2. For the BAS-2, there was a mean score of 3.63 ± 0.70 for whole group, 3.88 ± 0.24 for team sport, and 3.53 ± 0.80 for individual sport athletes. The IES-2 was 3.36 ± 0.49 for whole group, 3.61 ± 0.36 for team, and 3.23 ± 0.51 for individual sport athletes. For the whole group analysis there was a strong positive correlation between participant determined BMI (calculated from self-reported weight and height) and researcher assessed BMI, as well as for the BAS-2 and IES-2. Additionally, there was a significant strong positive correlation for BAS-2 and IES-2 for individual sport athletes. There were no significant relationships between the body composition variables and body related well-being for any of the groupings. When examining the difference between groups, while controlling for confounders, there was a group difference between individual and team sport athletes when looking at the IES-2, when not factoring in years of experience as a covariable, with individual sport athletes scoring lower than team athletes, 3.23 ± 0.11 and 3.69 ± 0.17 (p= .041), respectively. There were no differences between groups in body composition variables while controlling for confounders.
Discussion – The individual sport athletes in my sample were shorter, weighed less, and had less sporting experience compared to the team sport athletes. There was no significant difference between self-reported (which was calculated from self-reported weight and height) and researcher measured BMI (BMI discrepancy) when comparing individual sport to team sport athletes. Both individual and team sport athletes underestimated their BMI, indicating that they may think that they weigh less than they actually do. Athletes who had a higher body appreciation also had more intuitive eating skills. Future studies should aim to have equal years of experience and participant numbers.
Description
Keywords
Body Appreciation, Intuitive Eating, Body Composition, Women Athletes, Body Related Well-Being
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Kinesiology
Program
Kinesiology