Reasons and barriers for exercise as moderators in the relationship between exercise and body image within a student population

M.A. (Clinical Psychology)Abstract: A review of the literature published on exercise and body image in a student population has established that there is a need for further information and exploration with regard to this topic. Exercise participation may be motivated or demotivated by the perceptions (benefits/barriers) held around exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine these benefits and barriers of exercise by ascertaining whether they moderate the relationship between exercise participation and body image. As body image is principally formed during adolescence and young adulthood (Leone et al., 2011; Mwaba & Roman, 2009), a sample of 49 university students ranging between the ages of 18 and 29 years (mean = 20.55) were asked to complete an online survey consisting of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) and the Multi-Dimensional Body- Self Relationship Questionnaire (MBSRQ), as well as a biographical section. The sample consisted of first, second and third year students of various ethnicities and exercise levels, with 85.7 % being female and 14.3 % being male participants. In order to explore the general research hypothesis of this study namely that barriers and benefits to exercise participation will moderate the relationship between exercise and body image, a Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient analysis was first conducted in order to examine the relationship between the variables of interest and to check for multicollinearity between the variables in this study (exercise and body image perceptions). A moderated multiple regression analysis was then conducted to determine the extent to which exercise predicts body image, while examining the possible moderating role of reasons for, and barriers to exercise. The current study’s results reported significant correlations between exercise perceptions (benefits and barriers), exercise (training hours), and body image. However, the general hypothesis that barriers and benefits to exercise participation will moderate the relationship between exercise and body image was not supported. The results of the regression analysis can principally be attributed to the small..