Physical activity and functional body image in youth with and without visual impairments

Abstract

Recent research has found a positive relationship between functional body image and physical activity in typically developing youth; however, functional body image has not been studied in youth with visual impairments. Youth with visual impairments tend to have a lower body image and engage in less physical activity than their sighted peers. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in functional body image between youth with and without visual impairments and the relationship between functional body image and physical activity in youth with visual impairments. Twenty youth with visual impairments and 20 youth without disabilities completed the embodied image scale and the organized sport (OS) and active physical recreation (AR) activity categories of the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, which measures five dimensions of activity participation. Mann–Whitney U tests revealed that participants with visual impairments had lower functional satisfaction ( p = .006) and marginally lower functional investment ( p = .059) than participants without disabilities. The correlation analysis revealed several significant positive relationships: functional values with AR where ( r = .472), functional satisfaction with AR intensity ( r = .459) and AR enjoyment ( r = .501), and functional investment with AR ( r = .554) and OS enjoyment ( r = .655). There were significant negative relationships between functional investment and AR diversity ( r = −.475) and intensity ( r = −.501). This suggests that youth with visual impairments have lower satisfaction and investment in their functional body image; however, those who enjoyed OS and AR activities tended to be more satisfied and invest more in their functional body image.