ABSTRACT

Exercise and sports participation are associated with more positive selfperceptions but this does not allow us to determine whether participation causes enhanced well-being or helps prevent mental disorders and illhealth. The evidence from intervention studies shows clearly that exercise helps people feel better about themselves and this contributes to their mental well-being and presumably their quality of life. This in itself suggests that health professionals should consider physical activity as an important element of health promotion. In addition, improved self-esteem is an important marker of recovery from clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety and should be systematically assessed. Similarly, physical selfworth has been shown to be independently associated with elements of well-being and should provide an important benchmark for success. Finally, self-esteem and physical self-perceptions are inextricably linked to motivation through choice and persistence in health behaviours, including exercise. For this reason alone, it has to be given serious consideration in any intervention. A problem facing recognition of the importance of self-esteem is that it is often seen by health professionals as an outcome rather than a cause of either well-being or ill-health. Its centrality to human functioning demands that it be given serious consideration as a determinant.