Burgon, R.H., Beard, J. and Waller, G. orcid.org/0000-0001-7794-9546 (2023) Body image concerns across different sports and sporting levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Body Image, 46. pp. 9-31. ISSN 1740-1445
Abstract
Mixed findings exist regarding whether athletes have different levels of body image concerns to non-athletes. Such body image concerns have not been reviewed recently, meaning that new findings need to be incorporated into our understanding of the adult sporting population. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed first to characterise body image in adult athletes versus non-athletes, and second to explore whether specific sub-groups of athletes report different body image concerns. Impact of gender and competition level were considered. A systematic search identified 21 relevant papers, mostly rated moderate quality. Following a narrative review, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the outcomes. While the narrative synthesis indicated possible differences between types of sport, the meta-analysis demonstrated that athletes in general reported lower body image concerns than non-athletes. In general, athletes had a better body image than non-athletes, with no reliable differences between different type of sport. A combination of prevention and intervention strategies might assist athletes in focusing on the benefits to their body image without encouraging restriction/compensation or overeating. Future research should define comparison groups clearly, along with attending to training background/intensity, external pressures, gender and gender identity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Athletes; Body image; Eating disorder; Meta-analysis; Review; Sport; Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Body Image; Gender Identity; Sports; Athletes |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 08 Dec 2023 12:13 |
Last Modified: | 08 Dec 2023 20:40 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.04.007 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:206086 |