Role of Sociocultural Pressures and Internalization of Appearance Ideals in the Motivation for Exercise

This study examined the mediating role of sociocultural pressures (i.e., parental, peer, significant others, and media) and the internalization of appearance ideals (i.e., thin, muscular, attractive) on the relationship of Body Mass Index (BMI) and exercise frequency to exercise motives (i.e., weight management, appearance, positive health). A total of 262 young women, age 18 to 29, participated in the study. Average BMI in this sample was 22.09 (SD = 2.69) and ranged from 18.03 to 31.51, with 15.3% of the sample having a BMI of 25 and above, which qualifies as overweight. Participants completed Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised and Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 (EMI-2) along with some demographic information and questions regarding their exercise habits. The results indicated that women with higher BMI are more motivated to exercise to lose weight, and women who exercise more frequently are motivated by the aspect of positive health. Also, women with higher BMI perceive more sociocultural pressures to obtain a culturally acceptable body. The sociocultural pressures and appearance internalization mediated the relationship between BMI and the frequency of exercise with motives for exercise. The implications and future directions of research are discussed.