Are there associations between religious affiliation and drive for muscularity? A cross-sectional survey of young Muslim women, Christian women and atheist women from Germany

Background Over the last 20 years, society’s perception of the ideal female body size in Western cultures has changed from thin to athletic, and many women practice sports to achieve well-toned bodies. However, to date, no study has investigated whether Muslim women who live in a Western country and...

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Published in:BMC women's health Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 271 - 13
Main Authors: Wilhelm, Leonie, Hartmann, Andrea S., Becker, Julia C., Waldorf, Manuel, Vocks, Silja
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London BioMed Central 09.12.2020
BioMed Central Ltd
Springer Nature B.V
BMC
Subjects:
Adult
Appreciation
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Body image
Body Image - psychology
Body size
Christianity - psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Demographic aspects
Drive
Exercise
Families & family life
Female
Females
Gender differences
Germany
Gynecology
Humans
Islam - psychology
Leanness
Maternal and Child Health
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Muscle, Skeletal
Muscularity
Muslims
Physical fitness
Physiological aspects
Religion
Religion and Psychology
Religious aspects
Reproductive Medicine
Research Article
Self esteem
Self image
Sports
Veiling
Women
Womens health
Womens mental and emotional health
Young Adult
Germany
United States > US
Bahrain
Muscularity
Veiling
Leanness
Body image
Sports
ISSN:1472-6874, 1472-6874
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Background Over the last 20 years, society’s perception of the ideal female body size in Western cultures has changed from thin to athletic, and many women practice sports to achieve well-toned bodies. However, to date, no study has investigated whether Muslim women who live in a Western country and veil their bodies strive for lean or muscular bodies too. The current cross-sectional survey therefore addressed this question. Methods Veiled Muslim women ( n  = 70), unveiled Muslim women ( n  = 50), Christian women ( n  = 79), and atheist women ( n  = 68) living in Germany answered several questionnaires assessing engagement in sports, body appreciation, and drive for leanness and muscularity. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to compare the four groups. Results The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that Muslim women engaged less in sports and veiled Muslim women reported higher body appreciation than did Christian and atheist women. Although the groups did not differ significantly in drive for muscularity, Muslim women showed lower levels of drive for leanness than did Christian and atheist women. Conclusion Given that Muslim women engaged less in sports and strived less for a lean body compared to Christian and atheist women, a well-toned body might be less important for them. Nevertheless, as being active is beneficial for general health, barriers that prevent Muslim women from engaging in sports should be diminished.
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ISSN:1472-6874
1472-6874
DOI:10.1186/s12905-020-01138-8