Body image and participation in Physical Education classes

The aim of this research is to study the incidence of body image in the participation in Physical Education classes of 45 girls and boys between 13 and 17 years old from educational establishments in Temuco, Chile. We considered those students who, without having a health impediment, did not participate regularly in Physical Education classes.The methodology contemplated a mixed approach, with a non-experimental design of the transectional descriptive type.A systematic collection of qualitative data was made through focus groups and the Body Shape Questionnaire was used to study the students’ opinion of their body image.The results show that 10% of the males expressed mild concern about their body image and 24% of the females expressed moderate concern about their body shape.These data correspond to the opinions expressed in the focus groups, where it could be seen that students feel discomfort and body dissatisfaction in relation to their body, especially the female gender. However, this does not constitute as the main reason for not participating in Physical Education classes, being methodological aspects those that are mentioned as of greater importance.