Hu Yuna, Zeng Yong, Dong Heling, Li Han
School of Physical Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Speed Capability Research, Su Bingtian Center for Speed Research and Training, Guangzhou, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Sep 9;16:1648594. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1648594. eCollection 2025.
Body esteem is pivotal to college students' psychological well-being. Evidence suggests Latin dance and aerobics can enhance body image, but comparative, gender-specific effects remain underexplored.
In a 12-week randomized controlled trial, students ( = 90; 45 men, 45 women) were assigned to Latin dance group (LDG), aerobics group (AG), or control group (CG). Body esteem was assessed pre- and post-intervention using PSPP subscales: sport competence (SC), physical condition (PC), body attractiveness (BA), physical strength (PS), and general physical self-worth (PSW). Statistical analyses included independent sample t-tests, paired sample t-tests, and ANOVA.
Both LDG and AG improved overall body esteem versus CG ( < 0.05). Compared with CG, LDG produced greater gains in BA and SC ( < 0.05), with significant benefits among female participant (BA, SC: < 0.05). AG produced larger improvements in PC and PS versus CT ( < 0.05), with significant gains among male participant (PS: < 0.01; PC: < 0.05). No between-group differences were observed for PSW (LDG vs. AG, ns).
This study indicates that both Latin dance and aerobics effectively enhance body esteem among college students but through distinct mechanisms. Latin dance particularly improves emotional and social dimensions of body esteem, offering pronounced benefits for female participant, while aerobics primarily enhances physical fitness aspects, more effectively benefiting male participant. These findings underscore the importance of providing diverse exercise modalities in university wellness programs to cater to varied gender-specific psychological and physical health needs.
ChiCTR25063201.
身体自尊对大学生的心理健康至关重要。有证据表明拉丁舞和有氧运动可以改善身体形象，但比较性的、特定性别的影响仍未得到充分研究。
在一项为期12周的随机对照试验中，学生（n = 90；45名男性，45名女性）被分配到拉丁舞组（LDG）、有氧操组（AG）或对照组（CG）。使用PSPP分量表在干预前后评估身体自尊：运动能力（SC）、身体状况（PC）、身体吸引力（BA）、体力（PS）和总体身体自我价值感（PSW）。统计分析包括独立样本t检验、配对样本t检验和方差分析。
与对照组相比，拉丁舞组和有氧操组的总体身体自尊均有所改善（P < 0.05）。与对照组相比，拉丁舞组在身体吸引力和运动能力方面有更大的提升（P < 0.05），在女性参与者中效果显著（身体吸引力、运动能力：P < 0.05）。与对照组相比，有氧操组在身体状况和体力方面有更大的改善（P < 0.05），在男性参与者中效果显著（体力：P < 0.01；身体状况：P < 0.05）。在总体身体自我价值感方面未观察到组间差异（拉丁舞组与有氧操组，无显著性差异）。
本研究表明拉丁舞和有氧运动均能有效提高大学生的身体自尊，但机制不同。拉丁舞尤其能改善身体自尊的情感和社会维度，对女性参与者有显著益处，而有氧运动主要增强身体素质方面，对男性参与者更有效。这些发现强调了在大学健康计划中提供多样化运动方式以满足不同性别特定心理和身体健康需求的重要性。
ChiCTR25063201。
