Eating disorders among high performance athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine whether athletes in certain sports display a higher tendency toward eating disorders than athletes in other sports. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) was administered to 191 athletes (104 females, 87 males). The athletes were classified into three groups (i.e., sport classes) according to type of sport. Overall, 10.6% of the female athletes and 4.6% of the male athletes scored over 30 in the EAT, placing them in the anorexic range. The prevalence of the results for the female athletes is comparable to other research on college university populations, while male athletes appeared to have a higher tendency toward eating disorders than the general population. Significant differences between sport classes were found for only among the female athletes' groups. Activities that emphasize leanness and athletes in weight-matched activities were related to higher EAT scores than in nonweight-restricting activities. The study indicates that different groups of athletes may be at different risks for developing eating disorders.Received Master of Education in Counselling Psychology from the University of Alberta. Major areas of research interest include sports psychology and eating disorders.Received Doctorate in Counselling Psychology from the University of Calgary. Major areas of research interest include health psychology and counselor education.