THE ROLE OF SOCIAL PHYSIQUE ANXIETY ON EXERCISE PARTICIPATION AMONG THE NIGERIAN YOUTH

Good health is an essential aspect of human well-being and overall lifestyle. Attention must be given to actions capable of maintaining good health and well-being. Thus, participating in regular exercise is an integral aspect of health-promoting behavior. However, it is observed that despite the health benefits associated with exercise participation, most individuals still live a sedentary lifestyle, especially the youth. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the role of social physique anxiety (SPA) on exercise participation among Nigerian youth. One hundred and twenty-eight youths randomly selected from tertiary institutions in Kogi State, Nigeria, participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure assessing SPA and participation in exercise. A simple regression model was adopted to test the primary assumption of the study. The result of the investigation revealed a positive interaction between SPA and physical activity. Thus, the study concludes that social physique anxiety is an essential determinant of exercise participation among the youth.

Persian Version of Social Appearance Anxiety Scale: A Psychometric Evaluation

Background: Social appearance anxiety refers to the fear of negative evaluation and judgment about appearance in social situations. Previous scales have focused more on body dysmorphic, and a tool that can measure this anxiety in social situations has not been previously introduced. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) in the student community. Methods: This psychometric study was conducted on a sample of 415 Iranian students in 2020 using the convenience sampling method. The participants completed the Social Physique Anxiety Scale, Body Dysmorphic Scale, and Body Shape Scale. Cronbach’s alpha, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and convergent validity were used to examine internal consistency. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 24) and AMOS software (version 21). Results: Cronbach’s alpha for total score was 0.95. The relationship between the SAAS and Body Dysmorphic Scale (r = 0.73; P < 0.01), Body Shape Scale (r = 0.46; P < 0.01), and Social Physique Anxiety Scale (r = 0.79; P < 0.01) showed good convergent validity. The EFA extracted one factor that explained 0.60 of the total variance. After testing the one-factor model in CFA, the analysis showed good fitness indexes (comparative fit index = 0.95; goodness of fit index = 0.91). The item-total correlation of the Iranian SAAS was within a range of 0.51 - 0.84. Conclusions: The present scale has a high internal consistency and reliability and can be used for research and evaluation objectives in clinical settings in Iranian society.

Social Physique Anxiety Scale: Psychometric Evaluation and Development of a Chinese Adaptation

The Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS) is a popular measure of individual anxiety related to body image. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the 12-, 9-, 8- and 7-item versions of the SPAS. Two cross-sectional studies recruited 466 Chinese university students. Study 1 (n = 273) evaluated the construct validity and internal consistency of the SPAS. Study 2 (n = 193) further assessed the construct validity, factorial validity, internal consistency, convergent validity and divergent validity of the SPAS. The results indicated that none of the existing SPAS versions possess good psychometric properties suitable for the Chinese student population. In short, a new 7-item version of the SPAS that is more suitable for measuring social physique anxiety among Chinese university students. The implications of our results and future research directions are discussed.

The Association of Muscle Dysmorphia, Social Physique Anxiety, and Body Checking Behavior in Male College Students With Weight Exercise

Objectives: To investigate the association between muscle dysmorphia (MD), social physique anxiety, and body-checking behavior in male college students with weight exercise, and to reveal the association between them.Methods: A total of 492 male college students with weight exercise from 18 Fitness Clubs or bodybuilding centers in Chengdu, China, participated in this study.Results: First, the social physique anxiety scores, body checking frequency, and weight exercise behavior (i.e., frequency, time, and intensity) in male college students with MD were significantly higher than those without MD; it indicated that the higher the exercise frequency they had, the longer the exercise time they cost, and the higher exercise intensity carried out, and the higher the social physique anxiety scores tended to be, the higher the frequency of body checking on “global muscles,” “chest and shoulder muscles,” “comparison with others” and “posture measurement” they did. Second, the mediating effect of the social physique anxiety on MD and body checking was established in the “MD → global muscle checking,” “MD → chest and shoulder muscle checking,” “MD → comparison with others,” and “muscle dysmorphia → posture measurement.”Conclusion: Male college students with MD not only have a higher social physique anxiety, but also a higher frequency of body-checking behavior than the ordinary individuals. Social physique anxiety is one of the important mediating factors to those with MD which affects the body-checking behavior.