Scheduled for Psychology I Free Communications, Wednesday, April 26, 2006, 12:15 PM - 1:30 PM, Convention Center: 150DEF


The Relationship of Sport and Physical Activity to Body Image in Older Adult Men and Women

Anthony P. Kontos, Marigny Bostock and Ann O'Hanlon, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA

How individuals perceive their body as they age plays a role in their well-being and physical functioning and may change across the lifespan (Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001). Activity level, more specifically, sport participation, may influence body image (BI) in older adults. Gender may also influence this relationship, as many signs of aging in men are often thought of as distinguishing, whereas for women these same signs (gray hair, weathered skin) are interpreted as negative (Saucier, 2004). Body image has been conceptualized using three main components: cognitive (i.e., perceptual), affective and behavioral (Lox, Martin, & Petruzello, 2003). Few studies (e.g., Reboussin, et al., 2000; Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001) have examined BI in older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of activity (sport vs. leisure) and gender to BI among older adults. The study included 182 participants from the Greater New Orleans Senior Olympics. The sample consisted of 43.2% males (n = 79) and 56.8% females (n = 103). The mean age was 65.5 years (SD= 10.07). Participants completed the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (Thompson & Gray, 1995) for cognitive BI, the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS: Hart et al., 1989) for affective BI, and the Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ: Rosen et al., 1991) for behavioral BI. Satisfaction with body function and appearance was also measured using the Body Satisfaction Scale (BSS: Reboussin, et al, 2000). Results indicated that women scored higher than men on the SPAS (F = 16.796, p = .001). There was also a gender by activity interaction (F = 4.22, p = .04), indicating that women who played sport were more anxious about their bodies, whereas men who played sport were less anxious. As expected, men scored higher than women on the body appearance factor of the BSS (F = 4.814, p = .03). Women scored higher than men on the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (F = 14.545, p = .001), indicating greater dissatisfaction with their cognitive BI. Women also scored higher than men on the BIAQ (F = 5.559, p = .001) clothing and grooming behaviors, but men scored higher on social avoidance. Result suggest that gender differences in BI appear to persist into older adulthood, extending previous research (e.g., Reboussin et al, 2000). The results also indicate that the effects of sport on BI among older adults may depend in part on gender.
Keyword(s): athletics/sports, gender issues, older adult/aging issues

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