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Does gender moderate the relationship between physical activity and body dissatisfaction among adolescents?

ABSTRACT Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a significant concern among adolescents. We extend previous research by testing whether gender could moderate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and BD according to adolescents’ body mass index (BMI). 2,026 adolescents; 1,127 boys (13.13 ± 0.92) and 899 girls (13.06 ± 0.86), from 22 high schools in Spain, participated in this cross-sectional study. BMI was assessed by the research team, while PA levels and BD were assessed through questionnaires (PAQ-A and BIDA, respectively). PA was significantly and negatively associated with BD. When exploring the moderating role of gender, no gender differences were found for BD, and no significant variations were found in the association between PA and BD among boys and girls. However, when examining this relationship according to the adolescents’ BMI, a significant gender*PA interaction was found for adolescents with normal-weight, where the association between PA and BD for boys was significantly higher than girls. No gender differences were found in the association between PA and BD for overweight/obese adolescents. This study suggests that adolescents, particularly boys with normal-weight, with higher levels of PA are less likely to be dissatisfied with their physical image.