Examination Of Pathogenic Behaviors And Weight Perceptions Among Female Collegiate Athletes And Dancers

Abstract

Engaging in pathogenic behaviors (PB; e.g., dieting, purging, etc.) to control weight (WT) is often seen in athletics. Female athletes, especially those in aesthetic sports, have a higher risk of disordered eating, eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction. PURPOSE: To examine PB and WT perceptions [current: CWT, ideal: IWT, mental weight: MWT (perceived WT if they didn’t control their WT)] in collegiate athletes/dancers. METHODS: A convenient sample of female athletes/dancers (n=125; age: 19.8 ± 2.0; height: 163.9 ± 28.8 cm; WT: 63.6 ± 9.2 kg) across 6 sports and dance (i.e., equestrian (EQ), volleyball, beach volleyball, softball, soccer, ballet) from an NCAA Division I institution participated in a larger cross-sectional study. Participants were measured for height, WT, and body composition and completed a demographic survey (included self-reporting IWT and MWT) and the Eating Disorder Inventory-Symptoms Checklist (for PB). Basic descriptive statistics assessed demographic information. Cross-tabulations assessed the proportion of participants classified as “at risk” for PB across sport. A repeated measures ANOVA examined perceptions of WT (CWT vs. IWT vs. MWT) across sport. RESULTS: Significant differences were found for use of PB across sport [61.4%: Χ2(5, N=125) = 16.5, P=0.006]. EQ (8.9%) and ballet had the highest risk (13.4%). Significant differences were found between dieting and sport type [Χ2(5, N=125) = 12.2, P=0.033] for an overall risk of 52.8% with highest risk for EQ (13.6%) and ballet (16%). Significant differences were found between excessive exercise and sport type [Χ2(5, N=125) = 32.7, P≤0.01] for an overall risk of 13.6% with highest risk for EQ (10.4%). No significant differences were found for binge eating, purging, laxatives, diet pills, and diuretics. A significant main effect was revealed for WT perceptions across sport (F1,115=1625, P≤0.01, η2=.988), with significant interactions for WT type (F2,115=40.3, P≤0.01, η2=.260) and WT type and sport (F10,115=3.3, P=0.001, η2=.124). CONCLUSION: Overall athletes report engaging in PB, especially dieting and excessive exercise to control their WT, with aesthetic sports at higher percentages. Athletes WT perceptions are of concern, as all sports want to be smaller and assume their WT would be higher if they didn’t control their WT.