Body dissatisfaction among French and German sports science students – a cross-country comparison

<jats:sec> <jats:title>Objectives</jats:title> <jats:p>This cross-country study examines body (dis)satisfaction in relation to motives for using fitness-related social media among sports science students in Germany and France.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>A total of 523 German (mean age 21.22) and 611 French (mean age 19.85) sports science students completed a questionnaire to assess body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, drive for size, and motives for engaging with fitness-related social media.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>Two-way factorial ANOVAs revealed that French students exhibited significantly greater body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness compared to their German counterparts. French female students demonstrated a stronger drive for size; male French students demonstrated a stronger drive for thinness. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that body image issues were predicted by gender, country, and social media motives, such as seeking dieting ideas.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>Qualitative studies are necessary to investigate unconventional body image concerns among French students. Given that future practitioners act as role models and may be responsible for developing health education programs, it is crucial to ensure that they can educate others in a healthy manner.</jats:p> </jats:sec>