Eating Disorder Symptoms in Elite Spanish Athletes: Prevalence and Sport-Specific Weight Pressures

Abstract

We determined the prevalence of eating disorder (ED) symptoms among elite Spanish athletes from a broad range of sports and levels of competition and examined the associations between the presence of symptoms and perceived sport-specific weight pressures. We surveyed 646 elite athletes (16.7 ± 4.4 years; 51.08% females) representing 33 sports from top-division teams and two elite athlete training centers in Catalonia. Based on the results of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 responses, 5.1% of athletes (7.6% of females and 2.5% of males) were at risk of EDs. The highest rates of ED symptoms were observed in male endurance athletes and female esthetic athletes. Competition level was not a risk factor. The only gender differences in the presence of ED symptoms by competing level were observed in athletes competing at the national level. Female athletes with ED symptoms scored higher on the two subscales of the Spanish version of the Weight Pressures in Sport (WPS) tool: coach and sport-specific pressures and pressures from teammates and due to uniform. Male athletes with ED symptoms scored higher on the pressures due to uniform subscale. Finally, symptomatic female but not male athletes competing at international and national levels also perceived greater sport-specific weight pressures.

Examining the Relationship between Exercise Dependence, Disordered Eating, and Low Energy Availability

“…Despite no differences in the risk of LEA in females or exercise dependence across athlete calibre, we did observe the risk of disordered eating in both males and females to be lowest amongst those competing at the highest level of competition. Existing data on the relationship between rates of disordered eating across athlete calibre have reported a higher risk amongst athletes of higher calibre [ 25 , 26 ], but this is not a universal finding [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. These conflicting findings may reflect different caliber of athletes being included in the “higher” versus “lower” competitive group or the type of athletes included in these studies.…”

Inhabiting the Body(ies) in Female Soccer Players: The Protective Role of Positive Body Image

“…We explored the body-related self-representations and attitudes of amateur female soccer players and their vulnerability to disordered eating behaviours. This study contributes to the research on body image dysfunctions and EDs in Spanish female sports, a context in which around 1 in 10 athletes have symptoms or a high risk for alterations of eating behaviour and body image (Teixidor-Batlle et al, 2021). In addition, it contributes to research on positive body image and its protective role in women, and specifically in sportswomen, an emerging area in which studies are scarce.…”

“…In the present study, about 2 in 10 athletes are at risk for, or are already suffering from, eating pathology. It is a very high and, unfortunately, very common number in sports, also among Spanish female athletes, although other studies report lower prevalence rates (Godoy-Izquierdo et al, 2019a;Petisco-Rodríguez et al, 2020;Teixidor-Batlle et al, 2021). Compared to males, there is double or even triple incidence and prevalence rates among females (Teixidor-Batlle et al, 2021).…”

“…Responses on a 6-point Likert scale are recoded from 0 = never, rarely, sometimes to 3 = always. The EAT-26 has been widely used as a screening, not as a diagnostic, tool in non-clinical and clinical samples, also in the sports population (e.g., Teixidor-Batlle et al, 2021). In Spanish samples, it has been proposed that a score between 10 and 19 indicates moderate risk, and 19 or above indicates high risk (Rivas et al, 2010), thus lowering by 1 point the established cut-off point (Garner et al, 1982) (However, adopting the classical cut-off does not alter any of the findings).…”

“…Based on previous evidence, we expected to find that a noticeable percentage of the participants would show negative body perceptions, unfavourable attitudes towards their body and appearance and a high risk for eating pathology. Specifically, based on previous research with Spanish athletes (Teixidor-Batlle et al, 2021) and soccer players (Godoy-Izquierdo et al, 2019a;Petisco-Rodríguez et al, 2020), we expected to find that ∼1 in 10 players exhibited high-risk beliefs, attitudes and behaviours related to body, food and weight. In addition, we expected that the participants would also report high body appreciation, and these positive self-perceptions would in turn diminish their risk for eating pathology.…”