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Button TAJ, Ouellette GP. Actions speak louder than coaches: Eating disorder behaviour among student-athletes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0308795. [PMID: 39240846 PMCID: PMC11379180 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The objective of the current study was to examine the prevalence of eating disorder behaviours among student-athletes at a small, non-NCAA (Canadian) university, while evaluating the influence of gender, type of sport, and perceived social support. Two hundred participants (130 female, 70 male) completed an online survey that assessed participants eating disorder behaviours (EAT-26), behaviours consistent with the Adonis Complex (ACQ) and perceived social support (modified MPSS). The results revealed significant differences in eating disorder behaviour between female and male athletes, with females scoring significantly higher; yet no differences were found between how female and male athletes scored on the Adonis Complex Questionnaire. Significant differences were found between lean-sport and non-lean sport athletes, with lean sport athletes exhibiting more eating disorder behaviours. Furthermore, non-lean sport male athletes were found to score significantly higher than lean-sport male athletes for the Adonis Complex. Perceived social support was found to be negatively correlated to eating disorder behaviours and when considering gender and type of sport, accounted for unique variance in eating disorder behaviour. These results suggest that student-athletes are susceptible to negative mental health outcomes, even within the context of a smaller (and non-NCAA) university context, and eating behaviours vary among athlete and sport type. The results highlight the importance of continued research in this area and of having support systems in place for student-athletes and increasing awareness of athletic staff and coaches as to the seriousness and prevalence of eating disorder behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea A J Button
- Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada
| | - Gene P Ouellette
- Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada
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Ghazzawi HA, Nimer LS, Haddad AJ, Alhaj OA, Amawi AT, Pandi-Perumal SR, Trabelsi K, Seeman MV, Jahrami H. A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of the prevalence of self-reported disordered eating and associated factors among athletes worldwide. J Eat Disord 2024; 12:24. [PMID: 38326925 PMCID: PMC10851573 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-00982-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The purpose of this meta-analysis was to provide a pooled prevalence estimate of self-reported disordered eating (SRDE) in athletes based on the available literature, and to identify risk factors for their occurrence. METHODS Across ten academic databases, an electronic search was conducted from inception to 7th January 2024. The proportion of athletes scoring at or above predetermined cutoffs on validated self-reporting screening measures was used to identify disordered eating (DE). Subgroup analysis per country, per culture, and per research measure were also conducted. Age, body mass index (BMI), and sex were considered as associated/correlated factors. RESULTS The mean prevalence of SRDE among 70,957 athletes in 177 studies (132 publications) was 19.23% (17.04%; 21.62%), I2 = 97.4%, τ2 = 0.8990, Cochran's Q p value = 0. Australia had the highest percentage of SRDE athletes with a mean of 57.1% (36.0%-75.8%), while Iceland had the lowest, with a mean of 4.9% (1.2%-17.7%). The SRDE prevalence in Eastern countries was higher than in Western countries with 29.1% versus 18.5%. Anaerobic sports had almost double the prevalence of SRDE 37.9% (27.0%-50.2%) compared to aerobic sports 19.6% (15.2%-25%). Gymnastics sports had the highest SRDE prevalence rate, with 41.5% (30.4%-53.6%) while outdoor sports showed the lowest at 15.4% (11.6%-20.2%). Among various tools used to assess SRDE, the three-factor eating questionnaire yielded the highest SRDE rate 73.0% (60.1%-82.8%). Meta-regression analyses showed that female sex, older age, and higher BMI (all p < 0.01) are associated with higher prevalence rates of SRDE. CONCLUSION The outcome of this review suggests that factors specific to the sport affect eating behaviors throughout an athlete's life. As a result, one in five athletes run the risk of developing an eating disorder. Culture-specific and sport-specific diagnostic tools need to be developed and increased attention paid to nutritional deficiencies in athletes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadeel A Ghazzawi
- Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Lana S Nimer
- Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Areen Jamal Haddad
- Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Omar A Alhaj
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of Petra, Amman, Jordan
| | - Adam T Amawi
- Department of Exercise Science and Kinesiology, School of Sport Science, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Seithikurippu R Pandi-Perumal
- Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Division of Research and Development, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Khaled Trabelsi
- High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia
- Research Laboratory: Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, University of Sfax, EM2S, LR19JS013000, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Mary V Seeman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Haitham Jahrami
- Ministry of Health, Manama, Bahrain.
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
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