PHYSICAL SELF-CONCEPT, ANTHROPOMETRY AND BODY COMPOSITION IN PREADOLESCENTS
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to determine the relationship of morphologic features and body composition to physical self-concepts in boys and girls separately. This research included 630 children from north-eastern Slovenia, aged 9 to 11 years (M = 10.01; SD = .810), of which 311 were boys and 319 were girls. Morphologic features of the children were measured with the use of a standardized anthropometric instrumentation; the Maltron BF-907 Body Composition Analyzer was used for the measurement of body fat, fat-free mass, and body water proportions. The gender, age, and physical self-concept data were acquired through the French version of The Physical Self-Inventory – a short form questionnaire for determining the physical self-concept of adolescents, adapted to Slovenia. The relation between individual morphological features and physical self-concept was determined by regression analysis. Statistical significance was established at 0.05. The results show that the physical self-concept is more closely connected with body composition and morphologic features in boys than in girls, whereas the body fat proportion is the strongest predictor of physical self-concept in boys. The findings show that, particularly in boys, the physical self-concept is also largely based on the morphologic features and body composition. It is necessary to give special attention to boys, as we often think that boys are not as concerned with the physical appearance as girls.
References
Anderson, A. G., Murphy, M. H., Murtagh, E., & Nevill. A. (2006). An 8-week randomized controlled trial on the effects of brisk walking, and brisk walking with abdominal electrical muscle stimulation on anthropometric, bodycomposition, and self-perception measures in sedentary adult women. Psychology of Sport and Exercis, 7(5),437–451.
Bailey, S. M., Goldbergh, J. P., Swap, W. C., Chomitz, V. R., & Houser, R. F. (1990). Relationships between body dissatisfaction and physical measurement. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 9, 457–461.
Brake, N. (2007). Physical self-concepts and gender differences in children, adolescents and young adults. Retrieved from http://www.aare.edu.au/06pap/bra06511.pdf.
Cash, T. F. (1997). The Body Image Workbook. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications,.
Davis, C. (1997). Body image, exercise, and eating behaviors. In K. R. Fox (Ed.), The physical self: From motivation to well-being (pp. 143–174). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Dolenc, P. (2007). Psychometric characteristics of The Self-Perception Profile for Children. Horizons of Psychology, 16(1), 7–23.
Fridlund Dunton, G., Schneider, M., Graham, D. J., & Cooper, D. M. (2006). Physical activity, Fitness and Physical Self-Concept in Adolescent Females. Pediatric Exercise Science, 18, 240–251.
Fox, K. R. (1997). The physical self and processes in self-esteem development. In K. R. Fox (Ed.), The physical self: From motivation to well-being (pp. 111–139). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Fox, K. R. (2000). The effects of exercise on self-perceptions and self-esteem. In Biddle, S. J. H., Fox, K. R., & Boutcher, S. H. (Eds.), Physical activity and psychological well-being (pp. 88–117). London: Routledge.
Fox, K. R., & Corbin, C. B. (1989). The physical self-perception profile: Development and preliminary validation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 408–430.
Garner, D. M., Olmstead, M. P., & Polivy, J. (1983). Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 15–34.
Gonzales, J., Perez, J., Gonzales, S., & Garcia., M. (1997). Autoconcepto, autoestima y aprendizaje escolar. Psicothema, 9(2), 271–289.
Grogan, S. (1999). Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women and children. London & New York: Routledge.
Maïano, C., Morin, A. J. S., Ninot, G., Monthuy-Blanc, J., Stephan, Y., Florent, J. F., & Vallée, P. (2008). A short and very short form of the physical self-inventory for adolescents: Development and factor validity. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9, 830–847.
Marsh, H. W. (2005). Self-concept theory, measurement and research into practice: The role of self-concept in educational psychology. The British Psychological Society: Durham University.
Marsh, H. W., Craven, R., & Debus, R. (1998). Structure, stability and development of young children’s self-concepts: A multicohort-multioccasion study. Child Development, 69, 1030–1053.
Ninot, G., Delignieres, D., & Fortes, M. (2000). L’Evaluation de l’estime de soi dans le domain corporel. STAP, 53, 35–48.
Pepevnik, D. (2009). The physical self-image of Slovene and French primary school pupils from the perspective of physical activities. Journal of elelmentary education, 2(2–3), 5–17.
Planinšec, J., & Čagran, B. (2003). Telesna samopodoba otrok. In B. Škof & M. Kovač (Eds.), Strokovni posvet športnih pedagogov Slovenije (pp. 203–208). Ljubljana: Zveza društev športnih pedagogov Slovenije.
Riddoch, C. J., Bo Andersen, L., Wedderkopp, N., Harro, M., Klasson-Heggebø, L., Sardinha, L.B. et al. (2004). Physical activity levels and patterns of 9- and 15-yr-old European children. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(1), 86–92.
Schaffer, H. R. (1996). Social development. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Schilder, P. (1999). The image and appearance of the human body. London: Routledge. (Original work published 1950).
Schneider, M., Fridlund Dunton, G., & Cooper, D. M. (2008). Physical Activity and Physical Self-Concept among Sedentary Adolescent Females; An Intervention Study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9(1), 1–14.
Shavelson, R. J., Hubner, J. J., & Stanton, G. C. (1976). Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407-441.
Sonstroem, R. J., Harlow, L. L., Gemma, L. M., & Osborne, S. (1994). Test of structural relationships within a proposed exercise and self-esteem model. Journal of Personality Assessment, 56, 348–364.
Tomori, T. (1990). Psihologija telesa. Ljubljana: DZS.
Trost, S. G., Pate, R. R., Sallis, J. F., Freedson, P. S., Taylor, W. C., Dowda, M. J., et al. (2002). Age and gender differences in objectively measured physical activity in youth. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34(2), 350–355.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Open Access Policy and Copyright
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors grant the publisher commercial rights to produce hardcopy volumes of the journal for sale to libraries and individuals.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.