Date of Presentation

5-4-2023 12:00 AM

College

School of Osteopathic Medicine

Poster Abstract

Background: In 2018, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published that, 1 out of every 10 adolescent females suffer from an eating disorder in the United States. Although it is known that eating disorders have an impact on the entire population, there are currently no studies on the prevalence of disordered eating in female athletes of the New Jersey Athletic conference (NJAC). This study aims to determine how many athletes in this population are affected.

Methods: This IRB-approved project utilized a survey-based approach to assess the prevalence of disordered eating among female athletes within the NJAC. To participate, participants were required to be a female athlete over the age of 18 and actively competing for a school affiliated with the NJAC. Coaches of the NJAC female sports teams distributed the survey to female athletes. The survey included the EAT-26, which assesses risk of having an eating disorder. A total of 105 survey responses were collected and the data was analyzed using SPSS.

Results: Of the 105 participants who completed the survey, 27.4% were considered high risk for having an eating disorder. There was a moderate correlation between year in school and EAT-26 score, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.308 (p = 0.002). With this correlation, the independent samples t-test showed there was a significant relationship between year in school and risk of having an eating disorder (p = 0.032). The survey also concluded that 41.1% of the female athletes reported not ever being educated on the importance of nutrition for their athletic performance. Additionally, 24.2% of the female athletes reported being told they needed to lose weight for their sport.

Conclusion: This study concluded that there is a significant portion of female athletes in the NJAC who are considered high risk for having an eating disorder. The data emphasizes the need to educate female athletes in the NJAC on the importance of nutrition and the impact it has on their overall physical and mental health, as well as athletic performance. Furthermore, the results support coaches needing to be educated on how best to communicate with their athletes regarding nutrition. Expanded research on the repercussions of eating disorders on female athletes may help to further unveil the importance of increasing nutrition and eating education for these athletes.

Keywords

New Jersey, Athletes, Women, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Students

Disciplines

Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms | Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry | Sports Medicine | Women's Health

Document Type

Poster

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May 4th, 12:00 AM

Prevalence of Disordered Eating in Female Athletes of the New Jersey Athletic Conference

Background: In 2018, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published that, 1 out of every 10 adolescent females suffer from an eating disorder in the United States. Although it is known that eating disorders have an impact on the entire population, there are currently no studies on the prevalence of disordered eating in female athletes of the New Jersey Athletic conference (NJAC). This study aims to determine how many athletes in this population are affected.

Methods: This IRB-approved project utilized a survey-based approach to assess the prevalence of disordered eating among female athletes within the NJAC. To participate, participants were required to be a female athlete over the age of 18 and actively competing for a school affiliated with the NJAC. Coaches of the NJAC female sports teams distributed the survey to female athletes. The survey included the EAT-26, which assesses risk of having an eating disorder. A total of 105 survey responses were collected and the data was analyzed using SPSS.

Results: Of the 105 participants who completed the survey, 27.4% were considered high risk for having an eating disorder. There was a moderate correlation between year in school and EAT-26 score, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.308 (p = 0.002). With this correlation, the independent samples t-test showed there was a significant relationship between year in school and risk of having an eating disorder (p = 0.032). The survey also concluded that 41.1% of the female athletes reported not ever being educated on the importance of nutrition for their athletic performance. Additionally, 24.2% of the female athletes reported being told they needed to lose weight for their sport.

Conclusion: This study concluded that there is a significant portion of female athletes in the NJAC who are considered high risk for having an eating disorder. The data emphasizes the need to educate female athletes in the NJAC on the importance of nutrition and the impact it has on their overall physical and mental health, as well as athletic performance. Furthermore, the results support coaches needing to be educated on how best to communicate with their athletes regarding nutrition. Expanded research on the repercussions of eating disorders on female athletes may help to further unveil the importance of increasing nutrition and eating education for these athletes.

 

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