Physical Activity and Social Physique Anxiety in Older Women: The Moderating Effects of Self‐Presentation Efficacy

Abstract

Given the inconsistent relationships observed between social physique anxiety (SPA) and physical activity, it is possible that other variables moderate this relationship. This study examined self‐presentation efficacy (SPE) as a potential moderator. Participants were 81 older women. Multiple regression analysis revealed that SPA, SPE, and the SPA x SPE interaction significantly predicted physical activity, with the SPA x SPE interaction explaining 6% of the variance in activity. Evaluation of this interaction indicated that SPA was negatively correlated with activity only for women with high and mean SPE and was unrelated to activity for women with low SPE. These findings suggest that, for older women, lower levels of SPA are not always related to greater activity. Rather, SPE is an important moderator of the SPA‐physical activity relationship.