Abstract
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this work was to investigate differences in body image between student-athletes and student-non-athletes of both genders. METHODS: The study on 101 students from the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia, was conducted in 2019. All participants were subdivided in two groups: an athletic group with 25 male and 26 female students and a non-athletic group with 25 male and 25 female students. Mean age of the participants was 18.0±1.1 years. RESULTS: The results of the study show statistically significant differences between athletes and non-athletes on the following subscales: fitness evaluation (P≤0.004, Mann-Whitney U test), fitness orientation (P≤0.0001), and illness orientation (P≤0.004). The results of the study suggest participation in sports positively affect the body image of both male and female student-athletes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study may be relevant to sport psychologists, physical education teachers, trainers, and athletes who seek to optimize physical training programs.