Healthy eating, exercise, weight and body image : the closer I get the better I feel
Abstract
Many studies have found evidence showing that women are dissatisfied with their bodies.
Self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987) may be particularly applicable to this area of
study due to the difference between the North American ideal of beauty and the reality of
most women's bodies. Discrepancies may also be observed in areas related to healthy
lifestyles such as eating and physical activity. In the present study, a sample of 121
undergraduate females were asked to rate their proximity to and valence of reaching their
own definitions of healthy eating, body image, physical activity, and body weight. The
participants were also asked to respond to questionnaires, which served as predictor
variables. The present study had two main goals: (a) to determine what factors would
predict proximity to the healthy definitions; and (b) to determine if valence of reaching
these definitions would serve as a moderator variable. The results of hierarchical
multiple regressions indicated that combinations of the nine predictor variables could
predict the four different types of proximity. This study also found support in the areas
of eating and body weight for the hypothesis that valence would moderate the
relationship between the predictor variables and proximity. The overall results of this
study indicated that the closer women are to reaching their healthy ideals, the more likely
they are to also experience increased positive affect and better self-esteem.
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- Retrospective theses [1604]