Comparison of healthy food choices, eating obsessions, body perception, and stress levels between women who exercise and those who do not

Individuals who exercise pay attention to their nutrition to improve their physical appearance and performance. This study evaluated healthy food choices, eating obsessions, body perception, and stress levels among women who are members of a gym and regularly exercise, as well as those who do not. Two hundred thirteen women, aged 20-60, participated in the study, including 130 who regularly exercised and 83 who did not. The participants' general information, health, nutrition and exercise information, anthropometric measurements and body compositions, one-day food consumption records, food choices (FCQ), healthy eating obsessions (ORTO-R), body shape concerns (BSQ-34), physical activity levels (IPAQ-Short Form), depression, anxiety and stress levels (DASS-21), phytochemical intakes (PI), and diet qualities (SYİ-2015) were evaluated. The waist circumference (cm), waist/hip ratio, waist/height ratio, body fat weight (kg), and body fat percentage (%) values of women who exercise regularly are lower than those who do not exercise regularly (p<0,05). The FCQ sub-dimensions "health" and "weight control" scores, IPAQ (MET) scores, and diet quality measured by SYI-2015 of women who exercise regularly are higher than those of women who do not exercise regularly (p<0,05, p<0,05, p<0,001, p<0,05, respectively). According to correlation analyses, a positive correlation was found between SYI-2015 and PI scores in women who exercise regularly and those who do not (r=0,470, r=0,523), between the DASS-21 subscale "depression" and BSQ-34 (r=0,509, r=0,431), between "anxiety" and BSQ-34 (r=0,446, r=0,464), between "stress" and BSQ-34 (r=0,438, r=0,440), and between ORTO-R and BSQ-34 (r=0,498, r=0,611) (p<0,05). Exercise affects many factors in women, such as food choices, physical activity levels, and diet quality. Healthy food choices and better diet quality should be aimed at enhancing the beneficial effects of exercise. Keywords: Body image, eating disorders, exercise, food choice, stress