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The Comparison of Disordered Eating, Body Image, Sociocultural and Coach-Related Pressures in Athletes across Age Groups and Groups of Different Weight Sensitivity in Sports

Baceviciene, Migle, Jankauskiene, Rasa, Rutkauskaite, Renata·2023·Nutrients
DOI 10.3390/nu15122724PMC PMC10303047
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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to compare disordered eating (DE), body image, and sociocultural and coach-related pressures between athletes of different age groups (adolescents and adults) and between athletes participating in weight-sensitive (WS) and less WS groups. A total of 1003 athletes participated in this study. The age range of the sample was 15 to 44 years, and the mean age was 18.9 ± 5.8 years (51.3% were female). Athletes who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study were provided with the study measures on DE, body image and sociocultural attitudes towards appearance. Vomiting, laxative misuse and excessive exercise were more prevalent in adolescent female athletes than adults, while dietary restraint was more common in adult male athletes than adolescents. Adolescent female athletes experienced higher sociocultural (family, peers) and sport-related (coach) pressures and a less positive body image compared with adult female athletes. Adult male athletes experienced higher overweight preoccupation, more DE and unhealthy eating habits, and engaged in more frequent self-weighing behaviour compared with adolescent males. When the effect of weight sensitivity in sports was tested, a higher prevalence of DE and overweight preoccupation, more frequent self-weighing, and higher body-image-related pressure from coaches were observed in female athletes participating in aesthetic weight-sensitive (WS) sports as compared with those participating in less WS sports. No differences in positive body image were observed in female WS and less WS sports. Special DE prevention and positive body image promotion programs are necessary for female competitive athletes and parents of adolescent female athletes, especially those participating in aesthetic ones. For adult male athletes, special programs aiming to promote healthy eating should be implemented to prevent DE and body image concerns. Special education about DE prevention is compulsory for coaches who train female athletes.

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  • Athletes routinely resort to dietary supplements to expedite the repair process and mitigate oxidative stress-induced injuries after training regimens.

    “athletes routinely resort to dietary supplements to expedite the repair process and mitigate oxidative stress-induced injuries, such as muscle soreness, fatigue, and joint stiffness, that ensue after training regimens [5].”

    From Spirulina Supplementation Alleviates Intense Exercise-Induced Damage and Modulates Gut Microbiota in Mice (2025) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Introduction (§1.1; page unavailable) discusses disordered eating, injury risk, and fatigue recovery, but not supplement use to aid repair or reduce oxidative-stress-related injuries. Searches for dietary supplements and oxidative stress found no passage addressing the attributed claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Baceviciene, M., Jankauskiene, R., & Rutkauskaite, R.
Venue
Nutrients
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-06-12
Volume
15
Issue
12
Pages
2724
ISSN
2072-6643
DOI
10.3390/nu15122724
PMC
PMC10303047
Cited by
28
References
7
Language
en
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)

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