Body management behaviours in young adults: interactions among body perceptions, age and sex

Body perceptions and body satisfaction are associated with healthy and risk body change behaviors with important outcomes for health. In this study, the behaviors that men and women in their early young adulthood and late young adulthood use to control body weight, size, shape, and composition were explored. Body image (BI) and body satisfaction (BS) were assessed through silhouettes, questions and discrepancies, and body management behavioral practices with a questionnaire. Participants reported a moderately high use of healthy strategies and low use of maladaptive strategies. Two- and 3-way between-subjects ANOVAs indicated that a more negative BI and lower BS were associated with a greater use of both healthy and, particularly, risk body management strategies, and that sex, more than age, moderates this relationship, with women demonstrating a higher use of both type of body-management strategies. Our results are interesting for the design of interventions aimed at improving body perceptions with a focus on healthy behaviors.