Body image dissatisfaction, anxiety, and lifestyle of college athletes

This study aimed to explore the relationship between college athletes' body image dissatisfaction (BID), lifestyle, and anxiety. While lifestyle (LS) and BID have been individually associated with anxiety in the general population, few studies have examined these factors together in college athletes. Understanding their combined impact is vital for creating targeted interventions for this high-risk group. This was an observational, correlational, and cross-sectional study involving 127 university athletes (median age: 20.4 years; IQR: 4.0; 69.3% women). Participants completed 4 questionnaires: FANTASTIC for lifestyle, BSQ for body image (BI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) for anxiety symptoms (AS). All participants provided informed consent. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlations among LS, BID, and AS, and a binary logistic regression model. Significance was set at p < 0.05. The results showed that females had greater BI concerns and higher AS than males. Males scored higher on LS [82] than females [78]. Positive correlations were found between anxiety and BID, whereas anxiety was negatively correlated with LS and age. In the logistic regression model, higher anxiety was associated with greater BID, poorer LS, and lower BMI. The findings indicate that higher BID is correlated with increased anxiety, whereas a healthy lifestyle is associated with lower anxiety levels. These results highlight a significant inverse relationship between a healthy lifestyle and anxiety symptoms in young university athletes, even when body image issues are present. This underscores the importance of implementing supportive programs for this group.