Abstract
Background: Retirement from elite sport is a unique transition that influences significant identity, body, and lifestyle changes. This mixed-studies systematic literature review reports on athletic retirement, maladaptive eating behaviours, and body dissatisfaction. Methods: The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to search the following databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, EBSCO Host, Sport Discus, and CINAHL. Sixteen studies were synthesised and contrasted through thematic analysis to develop three overarching themes. Results: The three themes that arose include body dissatisfaction and grief, disordered eating and compensation, and long term influence of sporting culture. Maladaptive and compensatory behaviours can arise from sustained athletic identity, body grief, lack of education, and contradictory body ideals. Conclusion: The concept Athletic Body Transition is defined as exploring how a lack of body acceptance may lead to maladaptive behaviours related to food, exercise, and body arising in this transitory period. This review identifies the need for sporting organisations and health professionals to acknowledge this significant transition in regards to athletes’ relationship with food and body subsequent to a sporting career.
Highlights
Athletic retirement is a unique occupational transition associated with a plethora of changing behaviours related to nutrition, body, and lifestyle [1]
The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) [16] were used to answer the following research question: how does athletic retirement affect an individual’s relationship with food and their body? This review aimed to summarise the current scholarly limitations and make recommendations for future research developments and sporting sector improvement
The key drivers of the poor relationship with food and body in retired athletes synthesised throughout this review included (1) continuing athletic identity, (2) establishing unrealistic expectations related to nutritional and body composition changes, (3) athletes with significant energy balance changes or significant body composition shifts away from societal body ideals, and 4) the reason for and length of time since retirement
Summary
Athletic retirement is a unique occupational transition associated with a plethora of changing behaviours related to nutrition, body, and lifestyle [1]. It is experienced only by those who engage in sport at an elite and, occasionally, sub-elite level. Retirement from elite sport is a unique transition that influences significant identity, body, and lifestyle changes. This mixed-studies systematic literature review reports on athletic retirement, maladaptive eating behaviours, and body dissatisfaction. Maladaptive and compensatory behaviours can arise from sustained athletic identity, body grief, lack of education, and contradictory body ideals. This review identifies the need for sporting organisations and health professionals to acknowledge this significant transition in regards to athletes’ relationship with food and body subsequent to a sporting career
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