Research Information System
JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL ISSUES, vol.7, no.3, pp.21-32, 2021 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Abstract
Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior in athletes may occur when sports and
social pressures require an ideal body standard, if the athlete perceives that his or her body
does not conform to this ideal. For this reason, the aim of this study is to investigate the
relationship between artistic gymnasts’ (AG) physical profiles, body appreciation levels and
eating attitudes. A total of 32 elite AG (Turkish National Team), 13 women and 19 men,
participated in this study. Height and body analyzes of the participants were measured. Body
appreciation levels were determined by the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS), and eating
attitudes were determined by the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). With the Training
Information Form, information about training frequencies and durations was provided.
Comparative analyzes of the BAS and EAT-26 results of elite female and male gymnasts
were performed. The physical profiles, eating attitudes and body appreciation levels of
female AG were evaluated and the relationship between them was determined. While no
significant correlation was found between the BAS, EAT-26 and physical profiles of the elite
male AG, a negative significant correlation was found between the BAS and body mass index
(BMI) of female elite AG (p < 0.05). It was concluded that while BMI rates of elite female
AG increased, their body appreciation levels decreased. The BAS results of elite AG’ were
found to be significantly higher than those of elite female AGs (p < 0.05).
Key words: Artistic gymnastics, Body appreciation, Eating attitudes, Physical profiles