Women 's Lack Of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Eating disorders are a very serious psychological condition that affects your mind so that you are more focused on your food and weight than you are on everything else. The most known and most commonly diagnosed eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder; however, these are not

Over time, many diseases and famines have spread across the globe. In the modern, developed world, different, yet equally severe, problems have arisen. One of the leading complications in today’s society is eating disorders. These relentless disturbances are known for being lethal and for ravaging the world. First off, an eating

Eating disorders have become very common today, not only with women but men too (Bordo 2). This fixation with being skinny can be seen most often with modeling. Men and women both are required to be a certain weight if they want to be accepted to a modeling agency. Failure to stay under the weight limit will most likely terminate their contract with that agency. Not only do we see this in modeling or fashion but professional sports. I will never forget watching the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show a few years ago and watching how big of a deal that the cheerleaders stay within their set weight limit. One of the cheerleaders was five pounds over that limit and was called in for a warning or she would be kicked off the team. Her response, “I guess I’ll have to cut out my favorite snack, PB and J’s.” That moment forever stuck out to me, and made me realize I would never wish to be put under a weight limit for sports, jobs, etc. People often forget starving your body of nutrients is another form of an eating disorder. Bordo claims that, “Eating disorders are also linked to the contradictions of consumer culture, which is continually encouraging us to binge on our desires at the same time as it glamorizes self-discipline and scorns fat as a symbol of laziness and lack of willpower.” (Bordo 2). With the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as just an example, it goes to show also how much of an effect

1,445 student athletes from multiple different Division 1 schools participated in order to see the prevalence of eating disorders in a variety of different sports. The student athletes were asked questions about their athletic involvement, eating behaviors, drug and alcohol behavior and attitudes about their body image. The first set of results showed that 16.19% of females and 12.57% of males binge ate monthly (Powers, 1996). 81% of females reported feeling out of control of eating while only 45% of males reported feeling out of control. 23.9% of females reported vomiting as a form of purging but only 5.93% of males reported vomiting. When it came to diet pills, 14.30% of women reported usage while 2.16% of males reported usage. Although males’ results were always smaller than women, they are still at rise and suffering from eating disorders. With this study it is obvious that all athletes experience demands that push them to turn to abnormal and dangerous eating patterns.

Eating disorders affect millions of men and women every day. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are three main types of eating disorders that can have detrimental consequences on the human body. These eating disorders not only deteriorate one’s body, but also eradicate the mind. “Inherent to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are a plethora of medical complications which correlate with the severity of weight loss or the frequency and mode of purging” (Mehler, 2015).

Who is at risk? Numerous studies have shown that athletes are more prone to developing eating disorders than nonathletes, as well as female athletes being more at risk than their male counterparts. Disordered eating is seen in athletes of all sports. (Johnson, 1994). The prevalence of eating disorders in the female athletic population ranges from anywhere between one and forty percent, depending on the athletes questioned, and the methodology used (Sundgot-Borgen, 1994). Rosen and Hough (1988) found that 32 percent of athletes practiced at least one pathogenic weight-control technique(141). A study done by Sundgot-Borgen, in 1994, controlled for the possibility that self-report data could be unreliable in numerous ways, including not informing coaches of their intentions, and assuring 100 percent confidentiality to the athletes who participated. It found that the risk for eating disorders is increased if an athlete's dieting is unsupervised, if there is an early start to sport-specific training, and/or extreme exercise (Sundgot-Borgen, 418).

My audience is athletic trainers at the National Coaching Conference. Attendees of this conference are coaches, educators of coaches, sport science researcher, and students. They can use their extensive knowledge of coaching to develop a plan of action for the collection of coaches, across the nation, to take to combat eating disorders among athletes. The development of new regulations and educational requirements for coaches can only happen if a large number of coaches or coach educators are on board.

Although disordered eating has historically been considered a female concern, it is on the rise among males. Estimates of disordered eating behaviors in athletes are growing, and are as high as 62% among female athletes and 33% among male athletes. Some athletes may also have eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, related to clinical mental conditions. Characteristics of a possible eating

Despite a substantial amount of research, clinicians are unable to come to a consensus on a sole etiology of eating disorders; therefore, it is theorized that eating disorders can be viewed as multi-determined. This theory indicates that the onset of eating disorders occurs due to a variety of predisposing factors,

After viewing the video “Dying to be Thin” and reading the articles on eating disorders, I felt as though my knowledge was broadened on this topic. Because I plan to work with adolescents, this awareness is crucial to my future career. Some of the statistics that the video shared were alarming; 8 million people suffer from eating disorders, with majority being women. The video shared that 80% of women are unhappy or not satisfied with their body. Eating disorders also hold the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness, with anorexia nervosa being the deadliest. The video also gave me insight as to what professional athletes and dancers experience, as well as valuable feedback from survivors.

Eating Disorders Among Collegiate Female Student-Athletes Eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia) are not rare in today’s society. They have become increasingly common among young women. Research indicates that there is a link between the media’s representation of “the perfect body” as well as ideals of attractiveness with dissatisfaction of body image and eating disorders (Ferguson, Munoz, Garza, & Galindo, 2013). In this current literature review, I will focus on the impact of eating disorders among female collegiate student-athletes with an emphasis on how sports can play an influential role in the development of eating disorders. Female collegiate student-athletes are at risk of developing eating disorders not only because of societal pressures on women to be thin, but also due to sport-specific pressures to change their body weight, size or shape. Factors that contribute to sport culture and pressure on female athletes include performance anxiety, revealing uniforms, and coaches’ influences on their athletes (Coker-Cranney & Reel, 2015).

Schwarz, C., Gairrett, L., Aruguete, S., and Gold, S. (2005) stated that the purpose of this article is to find out whether there is a difference in eating attitudes, body dissatisfaction, and perfectionism among female athletes and non-athletes involved in a variety of collegiate sports. Finding out how perfectionism, eating attitudes or body dissatisfaction may relate to either judged or refereed sports may indicate that there is an eating disorder. If there is an indication of an eating disorder for a specific type of sport or even non-athletes, the research will help prevent this.

An Examination of Eating Disorder Profiles in Student Obligatory and Non-Obligatory Exercisers Cruz Granado Western New Mexico University An Examination of Eating Disorder Profiles in Student Obligatory and Non-Obligatory Exercisers The Article, from the Journal of Sport Behavior, “An Examination of Eating Disorder Profiles in Student Obligatory and Non-Obligatory Exercisers” written by Hilary Matheson, Anne Crawford-Wright (2000). The purpose of this study was “to highlight risk behaviors indicated in a student obligatory and non-obligatory exercise population comparing the result to other previous research” (Matheson & Crawford-Wright 2000). According to the authors there has been extensive research that focuses on the “relationships between

The study claims that athletes are about three times more likely than people not involved in athletics to develop an eating disorder. In the study they also found that fourteen percent of the sample size of athletes had developed an eating disorder, while only five percent of the regular population did (Sundgot-Borgen. 2004). Athletes have a lot of pressure on them to be perfect, flawless, and to maintain a physical physique that is pristine. Most athletes are willing to do whatever it takes in order to be the best they can possibly be. There are certain sports that experience this type of pressure more than others because they are considered lean sports. According to Ron Thomson, PhD, “Eating disorders occur in all sports, but sports with the greatest risk for eating disorders include those referred to as ‘lean’ sports”(Bowers, 2014). Some of the sports that are considered lean include gymnastics, ballet, diving, running, cycling, and wrestling (Bowers, 2014). When analyzing lean sports, one can determine that the sports are ones that involve high impact on the individual him or herself. In gymnastics, the individual is expected to throw their body up in the air and defy the laws of physics. In diving, the same occurs. Ballerinas are expected to have very lengthy bodies in order for them to look graceful during the dances they are performing. While participants are involved in the sports mentioned above, they are typically in tight uniforms and constantly being judged by others. Every time these athletes step on the competition floor, they are critiqued on their appearance and their performance. This is one main reason that the coaches tend to enforce exceptional fitness levels and pristine body image on the athletes involved in the lean sports. The most frightening part about it all is that sometimes the disease sneaks up on the athletes and goes unnoticed

Treatment People suffering from eating disorders cannot solely help themselves. Although they may be able to stop for a short time, in the long run they will be back in the same path of self-destruction. Kirkpatrick & Caldwell (2001) state, "Because eating disorders are a complicated mix of physical and psychological abnormalities, successful treatment always includes treatment of psychological issues as well as restoration of a healthy diet" (p. 131). Trained therapists should treat eating disorders. The severity of the disorders will determine the need for outpatient therapy or an in-hospital program (Matthews, 2001, p. 178). There are many goals of therapy but the return to normalcy is the main goal. The eating disorder sufferer needs to restore and maintain a normal weight as well as develop normal eating and exercise routines. Kirkpatrick and Caldwell (2001) state,