Body Image Satisfaction as a Physical Activity Indicator in University Students.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association of body image satisfaction (BIS) with physical activity (PA) in university athletes and non-athletes from northern Mexico. METHODS: In a non-probability cross-sectional study, 294 participants (51% male, 41% athletes; 18-35 years old) completed 2 self-administered questionnaires to evaluate BIS and PA. We categorized somatotypes (endomorphy-mesomorphy-ectomorphy) by international standardized anthropometry. Data analysis included the Mann-Whitney U test, χ2test, Kendall's Tau-b correlation, binary logistic regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Self-perceived sports abilities and desirable body shape predicted 30% of sports participation in students, whereas an endomorphic shape (<5.4 units) and being male predicted 15.4% of sports participation. CONCLUSIONS: BIS was a reliable indicator of sports participation among these university students.