Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests controversial results on the associations between sport activity and eating disorders (EDs). The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between sport activity in general, weight-dependent/independent sport activity particularly, and risk or protective factors in feeding and eating disorder (FED). The sample (n = 282, divided into two successive groups), included competitive athletes in the first analysis, non-competitive athletes, and sedentary peers; in the second analysis it has been divided into weight-dependent athletes, weight-independent athletes, non-competitive athletes, and sedentary peers. The participants were tested with Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire, Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). The results show higher levels of self-esteem among athletes in general and particularly in weight-independent athletes (p = 0.0210). We found higher levels of image and body dissatisfaction among sedentary peers and weight-dependent athletes (0.0005 < p < 0.0015). Sedentary peers also reported higher levels of tension/anxiety, depression/dejection, confusion/bewilderment and fatigue/inertia (0.0001 < p < 0.0331). Dieting and oral control were found to be higher among weight-dependent athletes (0.0337 < p < 0.0400). The findings suggest that sedentary condition is associated with higher levels of body-image discomfort and higher level of psychological distress, whereas weight-dependent athletes may report dietary issues and bodily concerns. Sport activity should be promoted and specific trainings on diet and body-consciousness encouraged among athletes.
Highlights
Pleasure activities, such as physical exercise and sport activity, should play a central role in a person’s well-being
The current study examined the relationship between sport activity and risk or protective factors for feeding and eating disorder (FED) in subjects aged between 11 and 30 years
These results indicate that weight-independent athletes seem to report lower levels of body and image discomfort whereas greater risk has been detected among weight-dependent athletes [15,16]
Summary
Pleasure activities, such as physical exercise and sport activity, should play a central role in a person’s well-being. Shields and Bredemeier (1995) affirmed that sport participation should influence personality, promoting courage, persistence, and self-control among athletes [1]. According to this assumption, sport psychologists investigated those dispositional factors such as personality traits, motivational orientations [2,3,4,5,6], and situational factors (e.g., levels of sport participation, types of sports, etc.) that could determine intra- and inter-individual differences in diminishing maladaptive behaviors in sport context, including eating disorders (EDs). Increased fat mass during puberty worries teenage athletes in general and can influence the perception of oneself and the perception of sport performance among young athletes leading to them starting a ED outcomes include an increased risk of death [9,10] and other physical health problems [11], which are caused by three interplayed mechanisms, i.e., undereating, purging, and low body weight [12].
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