Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 5 P229-P235, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America
Physique anxiety and exercise in middle-aged adults
E McAuley, SM Bane, DL Rudolph and CL Lox
University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, USA.
The present study examined the relationships among body composition,
exercise participation, and physique anxiety in a sample of middle- aged,
formerly sedentary males and females. Study variables were assessed prior
to and following participation in a 20-week aerobic exercise program.
Subjects reduced their weight, body fat, and body circumferences over the
course of the program, as well as physique anxiety. Multivariate and
hierarchical regression analyses revealed females and those subjects
between 45 and 54 years to be significantly more physique-anxious than
their older counterparts. Being female and failing to reduce hip
circumference were significantly related to postprogram physique anxiety.
Although those who exercised more frequently tended to be less
physique-anxious in correlational analyses, exercise frequency was a
nonsignificant predictor when controlling for body composition. Thus, it
appears that body image is a concern across the female age spectrum rather
than the sole province of undergraduate females.
