Muscularity-oriented disordered eating and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia in insufficiently active and physically active men

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate muscularity-oriented disordered eating and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia in men aged between 18 and 59 years. This is a cross-sectional, comparative and quantitative study, with online data collection using the MDDI- Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory and MOET- Muscularity Oriented Eating Test instruments. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS program, with a p≤ 0.05 adopted to determine the significance level. The results were obtained with the sample of 427 men, separated into three groups: bodybuilding practitioners (BPG; n=145), an insufficiently active group (IAG; n=124) and a group of practitioners of other modalities (GPOM; n=158), pointing out by analysing the total scores of the MOET and MDDI instruments that there is a significant difference (p = 0.001) between the groups. The BPG group has a higher average than IAG and GPOM (p = 0.001 for both), suggesting that BPG is more concerned with eating aimed at muscle hypertrophy and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia than the other groups. It is intended that the results of the study will allow health professionals to have an appropriate approach to individuals who have disordered eating and muscular dysmorphia.