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The Level of Competition as a Factor for the Development of Eating Disorders in Female Collegiate Athletes

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Abstract

Athletes have been identified by some as a population at risk for the development of eating disorders. The role of the level of athletic competition as a factor for disordered eating, however, has not been defined. The present study examined eating attitudes among a sample of NCAA Division 1 female collegiate athletes (N = 38), NCAA Division III athletes (N = 40), and non-athlete controls (N = 31). Participants completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), and a demographic and health questionnaire. Results indicated that athletes at higher levels of competition showed more signs of pathological eating and were at an increased risk for the development of eating disorders. Athletes in sports emphasizing a lean physique and in weight-restricting sports were also more vulnerable than athletes in other types of sports and non-athlete controls.

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  1. Graduate student in the Doctoral Experimental Program at the, University of Vermont, USA

    Christy L. Picard

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Picard, C.L. The Level of Competition as a Factor for the Development of Eating Disorders in Female Collegiate Athletes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 28, 583–594 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021606710398

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