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

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.