Risk of Eating Disorders Among Female College Athletes and Nonathletes

Abstract

This study compared the prevalence of eating disorder behaviors between female collegiate athletes (n = 206) and female college nonathletes (n = 197).Although female nonathletes had somewhat higher average scores on the Eating Attitudes Test 26, the proportion at risk for disordered eating was not different in the 2 groups.There was no significant difference among female athletes in different sports. Younger women were found to have more symptoms of disordered eating than did older women.n the last decade and a half, considerable research has been published on eating disorders among college students. Much of this research has focused

Psychological Correlates of Help Seeking for Eating-Disorder Symptoms in Female College Students

“…Furthermore, 78% of participants in the eating-disorder category and 78% of the participants in the symptomatic category exhibited some form of bulimic symptomatology. These findings are congruent with earlier research (Kirk et al, 2001;Stice et al, 1998) and suggest a fairly high level of binging and compensatory behaviors in female college students. However, the finding of an 11% prevalence rate for the most severe eating disturbance is discrepant from the rates previously reported (e.g., Hoek & Van Hoeken, 2003).…”

Taking a Timeout to Ensure Well-Being: Social Work Involvement in College Sports

“…Kirk, Singh, and Getz (2001) found that 11% of female college athletes showed partial symptoms of a clinical eating disorder, which is below the rate in the general college population (15%).…”

“…Eating disorders are more common among male and female college athletes who participate in a sport where body weight is emphasized (e.g., cheerleading, distance running, and wrestling) (Baum, 2006;Kirk et al, 2001). Furthermore, eating disorders are less common in sports that use referees as opposed to sports that use judges to gauge competition (Baum, 2006;Zucker, Womble, Williamson, & Perrin, 1999).…”

A Qualitative Analysis of Female Collegiate Athletes’ Eating Disorder Recovery Experiences

“…Based on the participants' narratives, it appears that sport can be an assisting factor if coaches, teammates, and the sport culture support the individual and facilitate necessary therapeutic interventions. In fact, these sport figures have the potential to provide a larger support network than a nonathlete may have access to (Kirk, Singh, Getz, 2001). In addition, the desire to reduce eating disordered behavior as a way to improve performance and stay connected socially to a team seems to be a strong athlete-specific motivator that should be incorporated into treatment and prevention strategies for athletes.…”