The study examined the impact of breathing exercises and physical activity programs on body appreciation, body esteem, and social-emotional loneliness among obese women. Using a 3x2 experimental design, pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted on participants at Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality gyms. The participants were divided into experimental and control groups, engaging in different exercise regimens. Parametric tests, correlation, and regression analyses were utilized for data evaluation. Correlation results indicated a negative link between body esteem and social-emotional loneliness, while no direct association was found between body appreciation and social-emotional loneliness. Significant correlations were noted between participants' body mass indexes and BAS, BRS, and SELSA measures. One-Factor Analysis of Variance revealed no significant differences between groups regarding body liking but did show variations in self-esteem and social-emotional loneliness levels. Post hoc analysis demonstrated notable distinctions among the experimental groups. Dependent sample t-test results for the control group showed no significant differences between pre-test and post-test scores; however, such differences were significant within the experimental groups. One-Factor Analysis of Variance further highlighted significant body mass index differences between the groups. In summary, breathing exercises and physical activity programs positively impacted body appreciation, self-esteem, and social-emotional loneliness among obese women, indicating the beneficial effects of physical activity and breathing exercises on their psychological well-being.

Obesity, breathing exercise, physical activity, body appreciation, self-esteem, social and emotional loneliness