Self-objectification and appearance anxiety in university students: Physical activity as a moderator

• Linjuan Liu

  School of Physical Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology

• Gang Liu

  School of Physical Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology

• Huilin Wang

  School of Business, Hunan University of Science and Technology

Excessive concern among university students over their physical appearance can lead to depression, eating disorders, and negative emotions, making appearance anxiety a significant social issue affecting students’ mental and physical health. In this study 352 Chinese university students completed a survey. Results showed there was a significant positive correlation between self-objectification and appearance anxiety, and a significant negative correlation of both appearance anxiety and self-objectification with physical activity. The interaction between self-objectification and physical activity was significant, indicating that physical activity played an important moderating role in the relationship between self-objectification and appearance anxiety. Self-objectification had a positive predictive effect on appearance anxiety, whereas physical activity had a negative predictive effect. Physical activity also served as a moderating factor in the relationship between self-objectification and appearance anxiety. Our findings emphasize that physical activity can reduce the impact of self-objectification on appearance anxiety, providing potential solutions to students’ appearance anxiety.

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