Physical activity association with body image in postpartum women

The perception of body image is usually affected in the different stages of a woman's life. The practice of physical exercise would be related to an improvement in the perception of body image, so it is important to investigate how the practice of physical exercise affects body image in the postpartum stage, since at this stage the perception is usually more negative . For this purpose, an online questionnaire was designed, consisting of socio-demographic questions, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Body Shape Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 80 Spanish women, aged between 23 and 42 years, who were mothers in 2020 and 2021. The results show that the Body Mass Index is positively and significantly associated with body dissatisfaction. However, in relation to physical exercise, the results showed an inverse relationship. The women with the highest body dissatisfaction were those with the highest Body Mass Index and the highest level of physical activity, with Body Mass Index being the variable that most explained body dissatisfaction.