Muscle Dysmorphia and Disordered Eating Attitude in Male Gym-Goers of Sikkim

Abstract

Muscle dysmorphia among males has increased immensely in the past few years. In today’s society where extremely high standards of physical appearance are often unattainable are displayed on various platforms, male gym-goers may experience muscle dysmorphia, especially, the ones who participate in bodybuilding sports. This further negatively impacts their eating behaviour often leading to disordered eating attitude. The present study aims to understand the relationship between muscle dysmorphia and disordered eating attitude among male gym-goers. An attempt to compare muscle dysmorphia and disordered eating attitude among competitive and non-competitive gymgoers was also made. A sample of 122 male gym-goers from Sikkim were administered the Muscle Satisfaction Appearance Scale, Eating Attitude Test-26 and a self-developed questionnaire on their exercise during and after Covid-19 lockdown. Results revealed a significantly positive correlation between the two variables. The competitive gymgoers were significantly higher in both muscle dysmorphia and disordered eating attitude than the non-competitive gymgoers.