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Eating behaviors of students on college campuses have garnered substantial research attention. Body dissatisfaction has consistently linked positively with eating disorders, particularly in environments where upholding an "ideal" body image is important (Furnham, Badmin, & Sneade, 2002; Garner & Garfinkel, 1980; Sundgot-Borgen, 1993). Further, disordered eating in college students has been positively related with low self-esteem (Button, Loan, Davis, & Sonuga-Barke, 1997; Granillo, Jones-Rodriguez, & Carvajal, 2005), and seems to be stronger when environmental pressures to maintain an ideal body image are present (Berry & Howe, 2000). The present study examined differences in body image, eating behaviors, and social pressures in college female athletes (n=58) and non-athletes (n=196) at a moderately sized Division II university. Participants completed measures of eating attitudes and beliefs, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and social pressures, as well as descriptive information. Results indicated female college athletes report less signs of disordered eating and more positive perceptions of body image than non-athletes. Additionally, athletic status does not moderate the relationship of disordered eating behaviors with self-esteem. Finally, peer pressure, but not romantic pressure, predicts body image, disordered eating, and self-esteem in college-aged females. Implications for practice, specific to college athletic staff and wellness programs, are discussed.
Much research has examined the relationship of body image attitudes and psychosocial functioning and well-being. The antecedents and correlates of body image are complex and include the developmental influences of cultural, familiar, and interpersonal experiences as well as the individual's actual physical characteristics (Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002; Thompson & Smolak, 2002). Negative body image and body dissatisfaction have been shown to have adverse psychosocial and psychological consequences, including disordered eating (Cash & Deagle, 1997; Gamer, 2002; Stice, 2002), depression and anxiety (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998), social anxiety and inhibition (Cash & Fleming, 2002), and poor self-esteem (Kostanski & Gullone, 1998; Powell & Hendricks, 1999).
Body image has been defined in numerous ways; however, most theorists and practitioners alike describe body image as a multidimensional construct with physiological, psychological, and sociological components (Cash, 1994; Cash & Pruzinsky, 2002; Parks & Read, 1997). Body image has repeatedly been identified as the most important factor in the development of eating disorders, and body dissatisfaction is the most consistent predictor of the development of an eating disorder (Hausenblas & Downs,...