Energy Availability With or Without Eating Disorder Risk in Collegiate Female Athletes and Performing Artists

Abstract

CONTEXT: Female athletes/performing artists can present with low energy availability (LEA) either through unintentional (e.g., inadvertent undereating) or intentional methods (e.g., eating disorder [ED]). While LEA and ED risk have been examined independently, little research has examined these simultaneously. Awareness of LEA with or without ED risk may provide clinicians with innovative prevention and intervention strategies. OBJECTIVE: To examine LEA with or without ED risk (e.g., eating attitudes, pathogenic behaviors) in female collegiate athletes/performing artists. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and descriptive. SETTING: Free-living in sport-specific settings. PARTICIPANTS: Collegiate female athletes/performing artist (n=121; age: 19.8±2.0 years; height: 168.9±7.7 cm; weight: 63.6±9.26 kg) in equestrian (n=28), volleyball (n=12), softball (n=17), beach volleyball (n=18), ballet (n=26) and soccer (n=20) participated in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, body composition), resting metabolic rate, energy intake, total daily energy expenditure, exercise energy expenditure, Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), and EDI-3 Symptom Checklist were assessed. Chi-square analysis examined differences between LEA and sport type, LEA and ED risk, ED risk and sport type, and pathogenic behaviors and sport type. RESULTS: Female athletes/performing artists (81%; n=98) displayed LEA and significant differences were found between LEA and sport type (χ25=43.8, P<.01). Female athletes/performing artists (76.0%; n=92) presented with ED risk with no significant difference between ED risk and sport. EDI-3 Symptom Checklist revealed 61.2% (n=74) engaged in pathogenic behaviors, with dieting the most common (51.2%; n=62). Athletes/performing artist displayed LEA with ED risk (76.0%; n=92). No significant differences were found between LEA with ED risk and sport. Softball was the highest with 82.4% (n=14) reporting LEA with ED risk followed by ballet (76%; n=19). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a large proportion of collegiate female athletes/performing artists are at risk for LEA with ED risk, thus warranting education, identification, prevention, and intervention strategies relative to fueling for performance.

Disordered eating & body image of current and former athletes in a pandemic; a convergent mixed methods study - What can we learn from COVID-19 to support athletes through transitions?

“…We have analysed this quantitative data via male and female current/former athlete groups to give greater depth into any sex differences that may exist. Consistently female athletes have demonstrated higher rates of DE compared to male athletes and we are interested in assessing whether COVID-19 as a stimulus has seen differences to previous sex understandings of DE [19,34,[55][56][57]. As for former athletes, there have been two studies utilising validated ED scales so we need to understand whether male or former female athletes are at higher risk of DE development [16].…”

Examination of the Prevalence of Female Athlete Triad Components among Competitive Cheerleaders

“…Ideal weight is defined as the weight in which the individual would like to be at. Mental weight is defined as the perceived body weight in which the individual would reach if no conscious effort were made to control weight [34,35].…”

“…A score below a −1.0 is described as a low BMD. A diagnosis of osteoporosis is applied when the z-score is below −2.0 [5,34].…”

Examination of Athlete Triad Symptoms Among Endurance-Trained Male Athletes: A Field Study

“…Two specific psychological risks identified in the over-control composite, which demonstrated 57.1%, were classified as typical/elevated clinical for perfectionism and maturity fears. The raw scores for perfectionism (10.1 ± 4.3) were similar to scores of female athletes, including equestrian: 13.2 ± 5.8, volleyball: 10.8 ± 4.3, softball: 15.1 ± 5.3, beach volleyball: 9.9 ± 4.8, and soccer: 12.7 ± 4.7 (38). The over-control composite reflects the significant need to avoid disappointing others as well as being the best.…”

“…With 42.9% of the participants using exercise to lose weight up to 50% of the time, this presents concern as to the motives of males exercising, whether for health benefits (i.e., cardiovascular fitness) or due to risks of ED behaviors. Torres-McGehee et al (38) found 38% of female athletes, and performance artists also engaged in additional exercise to control their weight. Similar to the female literature, elite male athletes participating in sports that require leanness (endurance athletes) show increases in ED risk (37).…”