Just doing it or just selling it? Examining exercise self-efficacy, self-presentational concerns and body-image perceptions in kinesiology and non-kinesiology students

Abstract

Kinesiology students represent the next generation of health professionals with the requisite skills to work within the field of exercise promotion. As such, they will be looked to as key resources for the promotion of exercise as well as models of an active and healthy lifestyle. While counterintuitive, there is work demonstrating that other “leaders” in health and exercise, such as athletes have been shown to engage in maladaptive exercise-related self-presentation. Further research suggests that dietitians may engage in maladaptive eating behaviors.  The purpose of the current study was to examine the exercise-related self-efficacy, self-presentation and body-image perceptions of Kinesiology students and compare these with those held by students in other degree programs.  Undergraduate students (N=219, Kinesiology=78%) completed a questionnaire assessing: self-efficacy, body-image, obligatory exercise, and self-presentational efficacy, outcome expectations and outcome value. Three separate MANOVAs revealed significant differences across degree for efficacy perceptions (p<.001), body-image and obligatory exercise (p<.001) and self-presentation (p<.001).  Compared to non-Kinesiology majors, Kinesiology students reported higher self-regulatory (Mkine=82.17, Mnon=67.02, p<.001) and task efficacy (Mkine=80.55, Mnon=68.96, p<.001), higher functional body image (Mkine=5.12, Mnon=4.69, p=.04) and greater obligatory exercising (Mkine=2.64, Mnon=2.24, p<.001).  No differences existed on appearance-related body-image.  Further, Kinesiology students reported higher self-presentational efficacy (Mkine=67.73, Mnon=59.83, p=.01) but lower self-presentational outcome expectancies (Mkine=2.23, Mnon=2.56, p=.02) and outcome value (Mkine=2.30, Mnon=3.07, p<.001). While the nature of the sample limits generalizability, the current study builds on existing work in the areas of self-presentation, efficacy and exercise and represents the first such investigation in the exercise literature.