Examination of Eating Disorder Risk among Female College Athletes and Performers

Abstract

The demands of being a female college athlete/performer may create mental and physical stress that may increase the likelihood of eating disorders and disordered eating. PURPOSE: The overall purpose was to examine the prevalence of Eating Disorder (ED) risk among female college athletes/performers across academic status and sport type (equestrian, volleyball, beach volleyball, women’s soccer, softball, and ballet). METHODS: Data from a larger cross sectional was used. A convenience sample of NCAA Division I female athletes/performers (n=127; age: 19.8±2.0 years; weight: 63.6±9.2 kg, height: 163.9±28.8 cm) from a University in the southeastern region of the United States participated in the study. Participants completed a basic demographic survey, the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), and the EDI-3 Symptoms Checklist (SC). Basic descriptive stats were used for demographic information. Cross-tabulations were used to examine the proportion of participants classified as “at risk for EDI-3 and EDI-3 SC” across sport and academic status. RESULTS: Significant differences [Χ2(15, N=127) = 25.2, P=0.04] were found between the distribution of ED risk and sport with 18.9% (n=24) at risk for EDI-3; 29.9% (N=38) EDI-3 SC, and 31.5% (n=40) were at risk for both EDI-3 and EDI-3 SC. Overall, pathogenic behaviors revealed: 52.8% (n=66) dieting, 13.6% (n=17) exercise 50-100% of the time to lose weight, 20% (n=25) binge eating, 13.6% (n=17) purging, 4.0% (n=5) laxatives, 7.2% (n=9) diet pill use, and 1.6% (n=2) use diuretics. A significant difference between dieting and sport [Χ2(5, N=125) = 12.2, P=0.03] was found with the highest prevalence within equestrian (16%, n=20/28) and ballet (13.6%, n=17/29). Sport type and exercise to control weight more than 50-100% of the time was significantly different [Χ2(20, N=125) = 54.1, P≤0.01] with the highest prevalence within equestrian (10.4%, n=13/29). CONCLUSIONS: Athletes in the college setting are at risk for eating disorders. Medical professionals such as athletic trainers who work within this setting need to be educated on the potential risk factors that can lead to EDs. There should be a referral process in place for those athletes who are at risk. Those involved in the screening, prevention, and treatment of at-risk athletes should understand the sensitive nature of the topic.