Abstract
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)
A review of the literature published on exercise and body image in a student population has
established that there is a need for further information and exploration with regard to this topic.
Exercise participation may be motivated or demotivated by the perceptions (benefits/barriers)
held around exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine these benefits and barriers of
exercise by ascertaining whether they moderate the relationship between exercise participation
and body image. As body image is principally formed during adolescence and young adulthood
(Leone et al., 2011; Mwaba & Roman, 2009), a sample of 49 university students ranging
between the ages of 18 and 29 years (mean = 20.55) were asked to complete an online survey
consisting of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) and the Multi-Dimensional Body-
Self Relationship Questionnaire (MBSRQ), as well as a biographical section. The sample
consisted of first, second and third year students of various ethnicities and exercise levels, with
85.7 % being female and 14.3 % being male participants. In order to explore the general
research hypothesis of this study namely that barriers and benefits to exercise participation will
moderate the relationship between exercise and body image, a Pearson’s Product Moment
Correlation Coefficient analysis was first conducted in order to examine the relationship
between the variables of interest and to check for multicollinearity between the variables in this
study (exercise and body image perceptions). A moderated multiple regression analysis was
then conducted to determine the extent to which exercise predicts body image, while examining
the possible moderating role of reasons for, and barriers to exercise. The current study’s results
reported significant correlations between exercise perceptions (benefits and barriers), exercise
(training hours), and body image. However, the general hypothesis that barriers and benefits to
exercise participation will moderate the relationship between exercise and body image was not
supported. The results of the regression analysis can principally be attributed to the small...