Student Athlete Wellness: Gender Perspectives

Abstract

A study of wellness aspects among college student athletes at a mid-sized, church-related, undergraduate, liberal arts college in the upper Midwest was conducted during the 2006-2007 school year. The students were asked by their coaches and team leaders to complete the Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle tool online. The study sample consisted of 273 college athletes, of which 131 were female and 142 were male. Female college athletes had the highest scores in the following areas: exercise, friendship, and love. The lowest areas were: spirituality, stress Management, nutrition and total wellness. The female athletes scored lower in 14 out of the 20 wellness behavior categories than the male athletes. In the areas of sense of worth, leisure and stress management, female athletes scored significantly lower than the male athletes. Male athletes scored the highest in the areas of exercise, sense of worth and friendship. Male athletes recorded their lowest scores in spirituality, nutrition, work and total wellness. The implications of this study for athletic programs indicate a need to address the specific needs of female athletes compared to male athletes, particularly tactics for dealing with stress, building self-esteem and the use of leisure activities.

Examining Student Wellness for the Development of Campus-Based Wellness Programs

“…The present study showed males were more active than females, engaging in more aerobic activity, strength and endurance exercises (P3, P4, P5), and had more energy due to their physical condition (P7). These findings are consistent with previous studies that also report males to be more physically active (Baldwin et al, 2017;LaFountaine, 2009;Myers & Mobley, 2004). The only question on which females scored higher was listening to their body and seeking advice if something went wrong (P1).…”

“…Previous researchers have examined wellness differences between traditional and non-traditional students (Myers & Mobley, 2004), year of study (LaFountaine et al, 2006), gender (Baldwin et al, 2017;LaFountaine, 2009;Wharf Higgins et al, 2010;Stock et al, 2001), institution type (Baldwin et al, 2017), and college athletics (Beauchemin, 2014;LaFountaine, 2009). Such studies have yielded mixed results.…”

“…Significant differences have been reported for gender. Males are consistently noted to be more physically active compared to females (Baldwin et al, 2017;LaFountaine, 2009;Myers & Mobley, 2004), reported higher levels of wellness, specifically those related to physical, emotional, and social wellness than their female counterparts (Myers & Mobley, 2004), and scored higher in their sense of worth and social relationships compared to females (LaFountaine, 2009). These findings contradict other studies that report females are more knowledgeable and better at practicing health prevention behaviors than their male counterparts (Wharf Higgins et al, 2010;Stock et al, 2001), and experience a greater feeling of belonging due to their social relationships (Baldwin et al, 2017).…”

Sex Differences in Wellness Scores in Collegiate Athletes

“…LaFountaine et al (2016) showed that female athletes scored lower than their male athlete counterparts in 14 out of 20 of the wellness categories they assessed. The lowest wellness scores in female athletes were in spirituality, stress management, nutrition, and total wellness, and there were sex differences observed, with females scoring lower than males for a sense of worth, stress management, and leisure (LaFountaine, 2016). These sex differences have also been linked to athletic coping skills (Von Guenthner & Hammermeister, 2007).…”

“…Female athletes tend to have lower representation in sports science literature, which is concerning because there are differences in physiological and psychological responses to training by sex (Cowley et al, 2021). LaFountaine et al (2016) showed that female athletes scored lower than their male athlete counterparts in 14 out of 20 of the wellness categories they assessed. The lowest wellness scores in female athletes were in spirituality, stress management, nutrition, and total wellness, and there were sex differences observed, with females scoring lower than males for a sense of worth, stress management, and leisure (LaFountaine, 2016).…”