Body Image of Highly Trained Female Athletes Engaged in Different Types of Sport.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate differences in body image across different types of sports in highly trained female athletes.

Methods: 242 female individuals, aged 13-30 years (M = 20.0, SD = 4.5), representing aesthetic sports ( = 56) and nonaesthetic sports ( = 186), were recruited from different sports clubs in Poland. Body image, BMI, age, the level of competition attained, and the training background of participants were recorded.

Results: One-way ANOVA showed differences in the body image of athletes engaged in different types of sport ((11,230) = 4.10, < 0.001, and = 0.16). The model predicting the body image of female athletes was significant ((5,236) = 10.40, < 0.001); the adjusted = 0.163. Type of sport explained 7.1% ( = -0.263, < 0.001), age explained 4.5% ( = 0.341, < 0.001), BMI explained 3.6% ( = -0.230, < 0.001), and level of competition explained 0.9% ( = 0.153, < 0.05) of variance in body image.

Conclusions: The findings provide vital new knowledge which can be used by researchers and practitioners in designing educational programs on weight-related behaviors in female athletes. Such programs should be implemented especially in young female athletes participating in high-level sporting activities at an early stage.