Social Representations of the Body and Health for Physically Active and Inactive Individuals

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the social representations of the body and health for physically active and inactive individuals. Fifty-five individuals who claimed to be physically active and 55 individuals who claimed to be inactive participated in the study. A questionnaire composed of free evocation questions about the body and health, characterization of the participants, health status and practice of physical activities, was used. The data were collected at a Private University and at a Gym in the city of Curitiba, Paraná. The free evocation data were treated through lexicographic analyses. Aspects of characterization, health status and physical activity practices were analyzed through descriptive and relational statistics using the Chi-squared and Student’s t tests. The characterization data were considered explanatory variables for the analysis of the Social Representations of the body and health. It was found that both groups share common representations related to body care and health. In Social Representations of the body, elements related to physical activity play a key role. In Social Representations of health, they play a secondary role. Although concerns about esthetics stand out, participants recognize that regular physical activity can contribute to health promotion and quality of life