The Impact of Athletic Participation on Body Image and Eating Disorders: A Cross- Sectional Study of Female Basketball Players and Sedentary Women Running title: Body Appreciation in Female Basketball

Background This study, which aims to address the lack of team sports-focused data in the literature, analyzes the interaction between body appreciation and eating attitudes in professional basketball players and sedentary women according to league level. Methods This cross-sectional study included 116 professional female basketball players and 125 sedentary women. Data were collected using the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Due to non-normal data distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, p < 0.05), Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used for group comparisons, and Spearman Correlation for variable relationships. Multivariate linear regression models were further applied to assess the impact of league level on eating attitudes while controlling for age, BMI, education, and body image. Results The research findings showed that the basketball players' body appreciation scores were statistically significantly higher than the sedentary group (p = 0.001). No significant difference was found between the groups regarding the prevalence of eating disorder risk (p = 0.551). While a significant negative correlation was identified between body appreciation and eating attitude scores in the sedentary group (r=-0.195; p = 0.029), this relationship was not found to be substantial in the basketball player group (p > 0.05). Conclusion The lack of association between body appreciation and eating attitudes in the athlete group is consistent with literature suggesting that team sports may prioritize physical functionality, potentially acting as a protective buffer against aesthetic pressures. However, direct comparisons with individual sports are needed to further clarify this mechanism. Research findings indicate that, regardless of an individual's level of competitiveness, cognitive-behavioral interventions focused on physical functioning are essential. In conclusion, this study contributes to the growing body of evidence indicating that sports participation is positively associated with enhanced body appreciation.