The relationship between body image and muscle strength in Spanish children and adolescents

Objectives: The objective of this work was to study the relationship between body image and muscle strength in Spanish children and adolescents. Methods: 230 Spanish school children participated (104 boys and 126 girls), between 3 and 15 years old with an average age of 9.05 ± 3.10 years. The body image was measured by the Stunkard silhouettes. The level of muscular strength was evaluated by manual dynamometry (Takei TKK 5101 dynamometer). The statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS 23.0. Findings: Significant positive correlations were found between the current body image and the level of muscular strength of the dominant side (r = 0.182, p=0.027), non-dominant side (r=0.155, p = 0.002), and average strength (r = 0.171, p = 0.015) of Spanish schoolchildren. According to sex, significant correlations were found between body image and strength in both boys and girls. According to age, the significant correlations between body image and strength were found in the Secondary Education group (12-15 years). Conclusions: The results of this study show that muscle strength can be a determining factor in the perception of body image of children and adolescents. It is recommended to carry out intervention programs with the aim of improving strength, because this will have positive effects on the body image of the participants.