A1 Journal article (refereed)
Factors associated with body size perception among adolescent goal-oriented sports participants and non-participants : a cross-sectional Finnish study (2022)

Mäkituomas, L., Heikkilä, L., Nurkkala, M., Korpelainen, R., Alanko, L., Heinonen, O. J., Kokko, S., Kujala, U., Parkkari, J., Savonen, K., Valtonen, M., Vasankari, T., Villberg, J., & Vanhala, M. (2022). Factors associated with body size perception among adolescent goal-oriented sports participants and non-participants : a cross-sectional Finnish study. BMC Public Health, 22, Article 2188. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14511-z

JYU authors or editors

Kokko, Sami
Kujala, Urho
Parkkari, Jari
Villberg, Jari

Publication details

All authors or editors: Mäkituomas, Leevi; Heikkilä, Laura; Nurkkala, Marjukka; Korpelainen, Raija; Alanko, Lauri; Heinonen, Olli J.; Kokko, Sami; Kujala, Urho; Parkkari, Jari; Savonen, Kai; et al.

Journal or series: BMC Public Health

eISSN: 1471-2458

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 25/11/2022

Volume: 22

Article number: 2188

Publisher: Biomed Central

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14511-z

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/84406

Abstract

Background
Regardless of competitive athletes’ body image pressures, only few studies have focused on adolescent sport participants’ body image and the findings are inconclusive. Furthermore, the role of competitive goals in sports on adolescents’ body size perception has not been studied. We examined the factors associated with adolescents’ competitive goals in sports and body size perception, and the associations between adolescents’ competitive goals in sports and body size perception.

Methods
The cross-sectional study consisted of 475 goal-oriented sports club participants and 936 reference youths (aged 14–16 years). The study questionnaire included multiple choice items on health behaviours, motives to exercise, competitive goals in sports and body size perception. The multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the associations.

Results
Adolescents with competitive goals in sports perceived their body size as about the right size more frequently than reference youths (68% vs 47%, p < 0.001 in girls; 74% vs 61%, p < 0.001 in boys). More than one-fourth of girls with competitive goals in sports perceived themselves as overweight, although only 7% of them were overweight. Adolescents with appearance/weight motives to exercise and poor perceived physical fitness had higher odds of perceived fatness. Additionally, BMI was positively associated with perceived fatness and negatively with perceived thinness. Having competitive goals in sports was not independently associated with perceived fatness or perceived thinness.

Conclusions
Adolescents’ BMI, appearance/weight motives to exercise, and perceived physical fitness were more strongly associated with body size perception than their competitive goals in sports. However, perceived fatness among girls with competitive goals in sports should be considered in organized sports.

Keywords: sports; athletes; competitive sports; cross-sectional research; physical training; young people; body image