Does “The Lean Startup” increase startups’ chances of success in Lisbon? : introduction to a “Leanness” scale

When following “The Lean Startup” (TLS) methodology, described by Eric Ries, startups are expected to have higher chances of success than conventional startups. The following study is the first attempt to empirically assess TLS approach macroscopic impact on startups’ death rates in the Lisbon’s ecosystem. A survey with validated “leanness” measuring scale, was used to classify startups. A local startup database, built using mainly online resources, diffused the survey through out Lisbon’s established startups. In addition, several semi-structured interviews were held with local entrepreneurship experts to complement quantitative findings. Lisbon’s “Lean” startups’ death rates were compared against “non-Lean” startups. No meaningful correlation between TLS usage and lower startups’ death rates were found. Additionally, studying TLS methodology adoption rates in Lisbon was not possible due to sample size limitations. Furthermore, no connection between increased investor’s confidence towards “Lean” investment opportunities was qualitatively found, neither have experts stood behind standardized metrics to monitor startups’ progress. Startups’ information is scattered and outdated, rendering research challenging and time-consuming. Startups struggle to standout from small businesses also riding the entrepreneurial hype, forming a foggy entrepreneurial hotspot. A startup certification process would be invaluable to highlight, accurately entitle fiscal benefits, increase investors’ exposure and monitor real startups’ progress. The developed “Leanness” scale could also be used to measure how much startups actually follow TLS methodology. Further groundwork is still needed to set the first research foundations on the subject in Lisbon.Seguindo a metodologia "The Lean Startup” (TLS), descrita por Eric Ries, espera-se que as startups tenham maior sucesso que startups tradicionais. Este estudo classifica-se como uma primeira tentativa de avaliar empiricamente o impacto macroscópico da metodologia TLS nas taxas de mortalidade de startups no ecossistema de Lisboa. Construiu-se uma base de dados de startups em Lisboa e, posteriormente, difundiu-se o primeiro questionário com uma escala de "Leanness" para estudá-las. Adicionalmente, foram conduzidas entrevistas semiestruturadas com empreendedores especialistas para enriquecer a pesquisa quantitativa. Não foi encontrada uma correlação significativa entre o uso da abordagem TLS e a redução das taxas de mortalidade de startups. Devido à falta de informação, não foi possível perceber qual é o grau de adoção da metodologia TLS. Não foi encontrada uma razão que justifique a maior confiança de investidores relativamente a oportunidades de investimento em startups que usam os princípios TLS. Especialistas em empreendedorismo não chegaram a um consenso no que diz respeito a um conjunto de métricas para monitorizar o progresso de startups. A sua informação no ecossistema de Lisboa encontra-se dispersa e desatualizada, o que tornou o estudo demorado e complexo. As startups esforçam-se por se destacarem dos pequenos negócios que se alimentam do alvoroço em redor do empreendedorismo, transformando Lisboa num polo saturado e confuso. Ainda há muito por descobrir neste ecossistema e, futuramente, os processos de certificação de startups e identificação de startups que utilizam os princípios TLS a partir da escala “Leanness” seriam caminhos a explorar

Psychometric Properties of the Drive for Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire Among Irish Men

The Drive for Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire (DMAQ) was developed to measure men’s desire to attain an idealized muscular body. To date, the cross-cultural suitability of this measure has received limited attention. The current study addressed this omission by testing the psychometric properties of the DMAQ using an online sample of Irish men ( N = 327). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a unidimensional model adequately matched observed data (i.e., fit indices suggested acceptable model fit). Analyses also showed that the DMAQ yielded reliable and construct valid scores, suggesting that the scale holds promise as an indicant of the drive for muscularity among Irish men. Strengths and limitations associated with this study are discussed, such as advantages and disadvantages of Internet research. Directions for future research are given, including the need for more psychometric wor

Body figure idealization and body appearance pressure in fitness instructors

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Purpose: The fitness centers are settings for health promotion, yet may serve as a stage for counterproductive figure idealization. Such idealization may take the form of a drive toward the thin, the muscular, or lean body figure ideal, which all hold the potential to impel an experience of body appearance pressure (BAP) and body dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to explore figure idealization, body dissatisfaction, and experience of BAP in fitness instructors. Materials and Methods: Fitness instructors, 70 (23%) males and 236 (77%) females, were recruited through their facility chief executive officer and social media for a digital survey on mental health. Results are presented for body appreciation (BAS-2), body dissatisfaction (EDI-BD), drive for muscularity (DM), drive for leanness (DLS), questions on BAP, symptoms of eating disorders (EDE-q), and history of weight regulation and eating disorders (EDs). Results: Attempts to gain body weight were reported by 17% of females and 53% of males, whereas ∼76% of males and females, respectively, reported to have attempted weight reduction. Reasons for body weight manipulation were predominantly appearance related, and 10–20% reported disordered eating behavior. Mean BAS-2 and EDI-BD were acceptable, but 28% of females were above clinical cutoff in EDI-BD, and mean DLS were high in both sexes. In total, 8% of females were above clinical cutoff in EDE-q, which corresponded well with the self-reported ED. Approximately 90% of the sample perceived BAP to be a societal issue and reported predominantly customers and colleagues to be the cause of their personal experience of BAP. Fewer than 50% knew of any actions taken by their employer to reduce BAP. There were few differences according to profession or educational level. Conclusion: Fitness instructors report BAP to affect them negatively, which may put them at risk of impaired mental health. Educational level did not protect against figure idealization and BAP. To care for their employees and to optimize their position as a public health promoter, the fitness industry should target BAP in health promotion programs.publishedVersio

Association between muscle dysmorphia psychopathology and binge eating in a large at-risk cohort of men and women.

BACKGROUND Current research on muscle dysmorphia (MD) has focused on restrained eating behaviors and has adopted a primarily male perspective. Despite initial evidence, the role of possible binge eating associated with MD has only been scarcely investigated. To extend the transdiagnostic and cross-gender approaches and address the dearth in research related to MD, this study investigated the association between MD psychopathology and binge eating in men and women. METHODS This study investigated the association between MD psychopathology and binge eating in both men and women. Participants were a sample of 5905 men (n = 422) and women (n = 5483) social media users aged 18-72 years. They completed an online survey that included self-report measures assessing demographics, binge eating, MD psychopathology, and drive for thinness and leanness. Binge eating was assessed using the diagnostic questions of the validated German version of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. The Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) was used to assess MD psychopathology. A total score of > 39 was set as a cutoff to define an "MD at-risk" state for both men and women. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between MD psychopathology and binge eating. RESULTS MD psychopathology was significantly positively associated with binge eating in both men and women. Among the three MDDI subscales, only appearance intolerance was significantly associated with MD, and drive for size and functional impairment were not associated. MD at-risk status yielded a predicted probability of binge eating of 25% for men and 66.9% for women. The increased probability of binge eating associated with MD at-risk status was mainly accounted for by appearance intolerance in men and drive for thinness in women. CONCLUSION MD psychopathology is positively associated with binge eating in both men and women. Binge eating episodes should therefore form part of the clinical assessment of MD

Media internalization and conformity to traditional masculine norms in relation to body image concerns among men

Previous studies have separately examined conformity to masculine norms and internalization of body ideals in the media in relation to the drive for muscularity (DM). This study was designed to examine these factors together in relation to DM, and further examine how they may differ in relation to drive for thinness (DT) and drive for leanness (DL). Participants were 284 Australian males between ages 18 to 42. They completed validated measures that assessed DM, DT, DL, male gender role norms, and internalization of body ideals. The findings showed that internalization of body ideals mediated the relationship between masculine role norms and body image in the case of both DM and DL. However, masculine norms and internalization were independent predictors of DT. Our findings contribute to further understanding of the roles that the media and masculine norms have in shaping men’s drive for muscularity, leanness, and thinness. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm the nature and direction of these relationships

Association between muscle dysmorphia psychopathology and binge eating in a large at-risk cohort of men and women

Background Current research on muscle dysmorphia (MD) has focused on restrained eating behaviors and has adopted a primarily male perspective. Despite initial evidence, the role of possible binge eating associated with MD has only been scarcely investigated. To extend the transdiagnostic and cross-gender approaches and address the dearth in research related to MD, this study investigated the association between MD psychopathology and binge eating in men and women. Methods This study investigated the association between MD psychopathology and binge eating in both men and women. Participants were a sample of 5905 men (n = 422) and women (n = 5483) social media users aged 18–72 years. They completed an online survey that included self-report measures assessing demographics, binge eating, MD psychopathology, and drive for thinness and leanness. Binge eating was assessed using the diagnostic questions of the validated German version of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire. The Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) was used to assess MD psychopathology. A total score of > 39 was set as a cutoff to define an “MD at-risk” state for both men and women. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between MD psychopathology and binge eating. Results MD psychopathology was significantly positively associated with binge eating in both men and women. Among the three MDDI subscales, only appearance intolerance was significantly associated with MD, and drive for size and functional impairment were not associated. MD at-risk status yielded a predicted probability of binge eating of 25% for men and 66.9% for women. The increased probability of binge eating associated with MD at-risk status was mainly accounted for by appearance intolerance in men and drive for thinness in women. Conclusion MD psychopathology is positively associated with binge eating in both men and women. Binge eating episodes should therefore form part of the clinical assessment of MD

Internalization as a mediator of the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and body image attitudes and behaviors among young men in Sweden, US, UK, and Australia

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. We examined whether internalization of sociocultural body ideals mediated the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and drive for muscularity, leanness, and thinness in a sample of males from Sweden, US, UK, and Australia. Over six hundred young men [n= 142 (Sweden); n= 192 (US); n= 141 (UK); n= 160 (Australia)] completed an online survey that included assessments of masculine role norms, body image, and internalization of sociocultural body ideals. Path analyses confirmed internalization as a mediator between greater conformity to masculine norms and body image measures (drive for thinness, desire for leanness, and desire for muscularity) across the sample. However, significant cross-country differences in the strength of these mediation effects were found. Mediation effects among US, Australian, and Swedish males were comparable, whereas these effects were weaker in the UK sample. Findings confirmed the importance of internalization of sociocultural body ideals in the tested models

ustancias ergogénicas y motivación por la musculatura entre usuarios de gimnasio con diferente nivel de riesgo de dismorfia muscular

Many studies have investigated the association between ergogenic substance use and symptoms of eating disorders, but not with the muscle dysmorphia risk level. In this research, the practice of exercise, the use of anabolic steroids and nutrition supplements, among gym users at different risk levels for muscle dysmorphia, as well as the reasons for use were analyzed. The association between the use of supplements and steroids and the drive for muscularity was also investigated. Participated 158 men gym users (age range: 16-58 years), who completed three questionnaires: 1) Substance use, 2) Drive for Muscularity Scale and 3) Muscle Appearance Satisfaction Scale. The results indicated that 12.0% of the gym users had a high risk of muscle dysmorphia, of these, 52.6 % use steroids and 89.5 % dietary supplements. These substances are consumed mainly for cosmetic and physical appearance reasons. The most commonly used steroids are testosterone, boldenone, stanozolol, trenbolone, and nandrolone decanoate. The most popular supplements consumed are proteins, amino acids, glutamine, creatine and L-carnitine. The use of steroids and supplements is associated positively and significantly with age, BMI, some characteristics of exercise, and attitudes and behaviors inherent in the drive for muscularity. The importance of promoting measures that alert users to the consequences of the use and abuse of these substances, to contribute to risk-reduction of muscle dysmorphia is discussed

Sammenhengen mellom kroppsopplevelse og forstyrret spiseatferd : En tverrsnittstudie blant jenter ved idrettslinjer på videregående skoler

Masteroppgave idrettsvitenskap ME517 - Universitetet i Agder 2017Konfidensiell til / confidential until 01-07-202

Dismorfia muscular y uso de sustancias ergogénicas. Una revisión sistemática.

El uso de sustancias ergogénicas (USE) no se restringe a la consecución de un mayor desempeño atlético, actualmente también es una conducta de cambio corporal, vía el desarrollo muscular; no obstante, poco se sabe de la relación entre dismorfia muscular (DM) y USE. Por tanto se realizó una revisión sistemática de los estudios empíricos que, durante la última década (2004-2014), la han examinado. De entrada, destaca el hecho de que, de los 22 artículos analizados, solo en 13 se explicita este interés. Además, aunque los datos documentados delinean algunas vertientes relevantes, como la existencia de una alta concomitancia (60-90%) de DM y USE, en general las evidencias son aún incipientes e inciertas, principalmente debido a la gran disparidad metodológica entre estudios y, particularmente, en cuanto a los indicadores, los parámetros y las medidas que, en el contexto de la DM, se han venido empleando para evaluar USE