Young Mexican Physical Self – Concept Gender Comparisons

Abstract

Abstract:The purpose of the present study was to compare the profiles of physical self-concept between men and women high school Mexican students. A total sample of 709 participants, 324 women and 385 men, aged 13-19 years participated in this study. A quantitative approach with a descriptive and transversal survey design was used. All the participants completed the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire. Results of the one-way multivariate analysis of variance, followed by the one-way univariate analysis of variance, showed that in comparison among women, men obtained higher scores on the health, coordination, activity, sports competence, strength, flexibility, endurance, global physical self-concept and global self-esteem subscales. However, in the body fat and appearance subscales statistically significant differences were not found because of the differences between men and women in their perception of their physical self-concept, these findings suggest that in order to design any intervention for improving the perceived physical self-concept of the students, the variable gender should be taken into account.