Predictors of Change in Body Image in Female Participants of an Outdoor Education Program

Abstract

Body image plays an important role in the way we think about ourselves and the value we place on our bodies. The purpose of this study was to examine body image and body valuation among female participants of an outdoor education program, and examine the influences that this course has on these concepts. Twenty eight female participants of an outdoor education program were surveyed at the beginning and at the end of a two week session. A comparison group of eleven graduate students were surveyed at the beginning and the end of a two week on-campus course. The survey instrument used for this study included a single ranking question for body valuation followed by the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). Correlation analyses were computed to measure the impact that each two week course had on body image and body valuation. A Mann Whitney test was used to determine if the two educational groups were different in pre-test scores. A series of Wilcoxon signed ranks tests were used to determine if there were significant differences between pre and post test scores. To determine the effect that body area satisfaction, overweight preoccupation and self- classified weight have on body image, a multiple linear regression was employed. The outcome variable was the change in score from pre-test to post-test. The predictor variables were three additional MSRBQ subscales and the initial pretest body image score. Results showed that the participants from the outdoor education program who had lower scores in body satisfaction at the beginning of the program had a significant increase in body image (p=.05) at the end of the program, while participants from the comparison group showed a small, but significant decrease in body image from pre-test to post-test.