Exercising caution: social physique anxiety and protective self-presentational behaviour.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Exercise Science
• Sociology

Background:

• Social physique anxiety (SPA) influences how individuals present themselves in exercise settings.
• Understanding the interplay between body mass index (BMI), SPA, and self-presentational behaviors is crucial for exercise adherence and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationships between BMI, SPA, and protective self-presentational exercise behaviors in women.
• To investigate whether SPA mediates the association between BMI and self-presentational behaviors.
• To determine the relative contributions of BMI and SPA in predicting self-presentational exercise behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 86 female university students participating in aerobics classes completed questionnaires.
• Measures included demographic information, exercise-related data, the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), and self-reported protective self-presentational exercise behaviors.
• Behaviors assessed included preferred exercise studio floor position and wearing concealing exercise attire.

Main Results:

• SPA was positively correlated with preferring to stand away from the instructor (r = .31) and wearing concealing clothing (r = .25).
• SPA did not mediate the relationship between BMI and the assessed self-presentational behaviors.
• BMI was a stronger predictor of clothing concealingness than SPA, whereas SPA was a stronger predictor of preferred exercise studio floor position than BMI.

Conclusions:

• Findings enhance the understanding of factors influencing self-presentation during exercise.
• Both BMI and SPA are relevant to self-presentational strategies in exercise contexts, with differential effects on specific behaviors.
• Interventions may need to address both body image concerns and social anxiety to promote comfortable exercise participation.