Study of the relationship between regular physical activity and social anxiety in obese women

Social physical anxiety refers to the feeling of distress associated with the perceived evaluation of one's physical self, which reduces the self-esteem of people. On the other hand, obesity and its associated disorders are a growing epidemic across the world. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between a course of regular physical activity and social physique anxiety in obese women. This descriptive-correlational research was conducted on 141 obese women attending physical fitness classes in Ajabshir, Iran in 2017, who were selected via random sampling and based on Morgan Table. Data were collected using Beck's physical activity questionnaires and social physique anxiety scale by Hart. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression. In this study, there was a reverse association between labor (P=0.001), exercise (P=0.001), and leisure time (P=0.001). In addition, 34% of changes in the social physique anxiety of women was predicted by the index of labor. Exercise can improve social physical anxiety and body image. Therefore, performing exercise to reduce physical anxiety seems to be necessary.