Health discourses, slimness ideals and attitudes to physical activities: Perspectives of young women in Denmark

TY - JOUR

T1 - Health discourses, slimness ideals and attitudes to physical activities

T2 - Perspectives of young women in Denmark

AU - Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

AU - With-Nielsen, Ninna

AU - Lenneis, Verena

N1 - CURIS 2017 NEXS 039

PY - 2017/3/1

Y1 - 2017/3/1

N2 - Studies conducted in Denmark reveal that many young women drop out of sport and exercise in their teenage years even though they possess good knowledge about health recommendations and the benefits of physical activity. This raises the question as to how they interpret and make use of the current messages about a healthy and active lifestyle. Based on five focus-group interviews and a survey among 784 female students aged 16-20, we explored their attitudes and practices with regard to physical activity and health. The analysis of the material is theoretically informed by the work of Foucauldian scholars who have used the concepts of governmentality and disciplinary power to explore current public health policies and young people’s health-related attitudes and practices. We found that for the participants in our study ‘health’ was inextricably intertwined with slimness and fitness, to which they ascribed great importance. The internalization of current ideals of the slim and fit body fueled aspirations but did not necessarily lead to the adoption and maintenance of an active lifestyle. We conclude that health messages and body ideals often cause anxieties and guilt among young women, which may even prevent engagement in sport and exercise.

AB - Studies conducted in Denmark reveal that many young women drop out of sport and exercise in their teenage years even though they possess good knowledge about health recommendations and the benefits of physical activity. This raises the question as to how they interpret and make use of the current messages about a healthy and active lifestyle. Based on five focus-group interviews and a survey among 784 female students aged 16-20, we explored their attitudes and practices with regard to physical activity and health. The analysis of the material is theoretically informed by the work of Foucauldian scholars who have used the concepts of governmentality and disciplinary power to explore current public health policies and young people’s health-related attitudes and practices. We found that for the participants in our study ‘health’ was inextricably intertwined with slimness and fitness, to which they ascribed great importance. The internalization of current ideals of the slim and fit body fueled aspirations but did not necessarily lead to the adoption and maintenance of an active lifestyle. We conclude that health messages and body ideals often cause anxieties and guilt among young women, which may even prevent engagement in sport and exercise.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Gender

KW - Students

KW - Sport

KW - Exercise

KW - Foucault

KW - Qualitative methods

KW - Quantitative methods

U2 - 10.1007/s12662-017-0438-3

DO - 10.1007/s12662-017-0438-3

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0342-2380

VL - 47

SP - 15

EP - 24

JO - Sportwissenschaft

JF - Sportwissenschaft

IS - 1

ER -