Amateur ballet practicing, body image and eating behaviors: a comparative study of classical ballet dancers, gym users and sedentary women

• Autor(a) principal: Maciel, Bruna Leal Lima
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Eufrásio, Ruty Eulália de Medeiros, Ferreira, Rannapaula Lawrynhuk Urbano, Leal, Leilane Lílian Araújo, Avelino, Erikarla Baracho, Pelonha, Rafaela Nayara da Costa, Carvalho, Maria Clara da Cruz, Torres, Carlos Henrique de Medeiros, Praseres, Ana Luísa de Sousa, Lima Filho, Marcos de Paiva, Mota, Ana Carolina Costa Campos, Nunes, Adriana Bezerra, Ferreira, Diana Quitéria Cabral, Vale, Sancha Helena de Lima
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFRN
• Texto Completo: https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/57452; http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00459-9
• topic: Body image dissatisfaction; Body image distortion; Anorexia nervosa; Bulimia nervosa; Dancers

Background: Ballet dancers are a risk group for body image (BI) distortion, dissatisfaction and eating disorders (ED), but few studies have investigated these aspects in amateur adult practitioners. This study aimed to evaluate if amateur female adult classical ballet dancers presented diferent BI and behaviors for ED than gym users and sedentary women. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study where classical ballet dancers (n=19) were compared to gym users (n=19) and sedentary women (n=19). Body mass index (BMI) was assessed, and a fgure rating scale was applied to assess BI distortion/dissatisfaction. The body shape questionnaire (BSQ) was used to measure BI concern. The eating attitudes test (EAT-26) and the bulimic investigatory test, Edinburgh (BITE) were used for behaviors toward anorexia and bulimia. Results: BMI was signifcantly lower in ballet dancers than gym users and sedentary women (F, p=.04). BI distortion did not difer among the studied groups. BI dissatisfaction was lower (X2 , p=.041) in ballet dancers (75.0%) and gym users (70.6%) compared to sedentary women (100%). Correspondence analysis showed ballet dancers were mostly not concerned with BI, which was not observed among the other groups. The EAT-26 did not difer between the studied groups. The BITE score was lower (Tukey’s post hoc test, p=.005) in the ballet dancers [mean 5.3 (5.6)] compared to the sedentary women [mean 10.9 (4.8)]. Conclusions: Data suggest that amateur classical ballet practicing is associated to better BI and fewer behaviors for ED in the studied population. The lower BMI in ballet dancers might explain these fndings, and further studies should explore these associations