It is clear that self-evaluations by adolescent girls do not necessarily reflect actual body weight. Findings suggest that associations between thoughts and feelings about the body vary with diverse experiences of the body. Results support brief, reliable, and valid indicators of self-concepts and feelings about the body that are vital in the design of prevention, intervention, and monitoring, and the evaluation of programmes for girls in clinical and educational settings.

This project examined the personal and social bases of children's self-concepts about physical movement. Children completed the Movement Assessment Battery, ASK-KIDS self-concept inventory, personal and social self-categorizations. Participants were girls and boys from 5 to 12 years old. Study 1 (N=242) confirmed that the ASK-KIDS self-concept inventory could be extended to physical movement for younger and older girls and boys. In Study 2 (N=42), self-concepts about movement were not necessarily associated with actual performance and personal self-categorizations about oneself as a 'bookish' or 'sporty' person. In contrast, self-concepts about physical movement were associated with social self-categorizations regarding age and sex. Study 3 (N=70) confirmed the social basis of children's self-concepts about movement. Self-concepts about physical movement were associated with children's sense of belonging and not with a sense of individuality. The findings have implications for the design of programs that motivate children to participate in physical activities.