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Old Thu, Nov-08-01, 12:23
doreen T's Avatar
doreen T doreen T is offline
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Unhappy Exercise messages may hurt women's body image

NEW YORK, Nov 07 (Reuters Health) - Although well-intentioned, exercise promotion may have the unintended side effect of making women more dissatisfied with their bodies--possibly raising their risk of eating disorders, researchers suggest.

In a study that followed US college seniors in an exercise promotion program, the investigators found that the program appeared to increase women's "drive for thinness," but did nothing to improve their dissatisfaction with their bodies. These women ended up being more likely than female students not in the program to agree with statements such as "I feel terrified of gaining weight."

"These results suggest that physical activity interventions may have some negative consequences of increasing concerns about thinness in women," Marion F. Zabinski and her colleagues at San Diego State University in California write in the November issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

This unintended effect, they note, arose despite the fact that the program was designed to help prevent dieting and obsession with over-eating, and instead promote realistic fitness goals and the "importance of self-acceptance."

No changes in body image or concern with thinness were found among men in the program.

According to Zabinski's team, this study highlights the importance of uncovering the full impact of health-promotion messages, "because not all effects may be benign."

In their study, 170 students followed a 15-week program that included physical activity and lectures on exercise, health, body image and healthful eating. A comparison group of 168 students had weekly lectures on general health topics.

At the end of the study period, women in the exercise group were more active and burning more calories, but had seen no clear changes in their bodies. Nor were there any improvements in their satisfaction with their bodies. What did increase was their desire to become thin.

"This increase in drive for thinness may be a result of sensitizing women to issues surrounding health behaviors and the importance of exercise," the researchers write.

In contrast, they note, there was an unexpected--although slight--improvement in body image among women in the comparison group.

Part of the explanation for these findings, Zabinski's team points out, could be that women who were already troubled by poor body image were more likely to enroll in the program. Such women may be particularly vulnerable to any potential negative effect of exercise interventions, the report indicates.

Indeed, the authors add, some studies have shown that exercise programs help boost body image--particularly ones that emphasize weight training and may, therefore, produce more noticeable changes in body shape.

Still, more research should look into the negative body-image effects of exercise promotion, particularly when it comes to teens and young adults, who may be more susceptible to eating disorders, Zabinski and colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2001 November.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archiv...107elin018.html
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