The Proclivity of Eating Disorders Among Track Athletes
by Melinda Burris
Research has found that track and field athletes are prone to developing eating disorders (ED), dysfunctional dietary behaviors (DE), and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)—all serious clinical conditions that can have long-lasting negative impacts on physical and mental well-being. This article discusses these issues to shed light on how easily these disorders manifest if a culture of awareness and precaution is not firmly in place.
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2022 Research Study
In August 2022, a study developed to explore the awareness level of track and field coaches and their ability to correctly spot the telltale symptoms of common eating disorders including anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) was conducted in the UK and published in the British Journal of Medicine.1 Study participants included young adults and older individuals acting out scenarios along with real coaches to compare the ability of real coaches versus actors and determine if trained track and field coaches were better able to deduce the signs of an ED.
Coaches were no more likely than non-coaches to correctly identify an ED in a fictional athlete. Real coaches were more likely than non-coaches to recommend professional treatment for a fictional athlete experiencing symptoms of anorexia nervosa and other EDs.
The bad news is the study showed the actual coaches displayed no significantly enhanced ability to identify when the would-be student-athletes were demonstrating signs of adhering to a strict diet for training purposes versus exhibiting signs of DE or ED. On a positive note, when real coaches did correctly detect a given scenario was one where the athlete was suffering from a DE or ED; they were more likely to recommend professional psychological counseling.
Researchers note the study results indicate a higher level of education and awareness of DE and ED conditions, and the red flags that indicate a person is struggling with either of these illnesses are needed. Scientists attribute the quickness of actual coaches to step in and recommend counseling as an intervention tool to “mental health literacy (MHL),” noting that “years of coaching experience were key predictors of coaches recommending professional treatment for athletes exhibiting signs of DE/ED.”
Study Findings: Need for Education and Looking Past Gender-Related Stereotypes
The study concluded that more emphasis needs to be placed on making sure coaches can recognize the warning signs of an athlete on the brink of developing a DE or ED condition and certainly those who are already battling these illnesses.
The researchers suggest that MHL, education, and intervention methods should be stressed and “embedded in national and international coaching qualification frameworks.”1 Along with general education about these conditions, researchers stressed a need for teaching and intervention efforts that “emphasize that male athletes are also at risk of developing DE/ED and that irrespective of an athlete’s gender, coaches have a duty of care to identify DE/ED problems in the athletics context.”1
Some Important Statistics
- Female athletes are 6-45% more likely to develop DE/ED than members of the general population.1
- Male athletes are 0-19% more likely to develop one of these EDs compared to non-athletes.1
- Eating disorders are fairly common in the U.S. with 9% of Americans dealing with an ED in their lifetime.3
The Story of Lucy George
In the spring of 2021, high school track and field athlete Lucy George looked to the outside observer like a talented young woman with all the hallmarks of a burgeoning collegiate athlete posed to join the elite ranks of her sport.
Having overcome so much, including a sophomore season stalled due to injury and another season canceled because of the COVID pandemic, Lucy had been recruited by Grand Canyon University as an NCAA Division I track and field commit. She was closing her high school career on a high note, going undefeated in multiple events including the high jump, long jump, hurdles, and throwing events, including the javelin and shot put, in her senior season.3
When outsiders looked at Lucy, they saw a gifted athlete with a strong work ethic who had beaten the odds and unprecedented challenges—a pandemic and global shutdown in 2020. Who would have believed such a thing could happen or fathom the long-term effects it would have on every aspect of life from the economy to scholastic and sports careers and beyond?
All that glitters isn’t gold though, and Lucy shares that while others saw her as a success story, she was struggling to define herself beyond her athletic achievements and battling low self-esteem and body image issues. Why? It goes back to the summer of 2020 when Lucy was training with a coach not affiliated with her school. One day, in the presence of a group of people, the coach announced that Lucy was overweight and needed to shed ten pounds.3
Those thoughtless words and the reckless way they were delivered wounded Lucy deeply and changed the way she perceived herself. Looking in the mirror is still painful for Lucy because she doesn’t like what she sees reflected there. That offhand remark led Lucy down a dark path, and she developed an eating disorder. Over a long year, Lucy fought her way back to establish a healthy relationship with food again but acknowledges she still has to make a conscious decision to eat regular meals, not wanting to backslide and lose the progress she struggled so hard to make.3
Before she confronted her eating disorder, Lucy couldn’t bring herself to eat and would show up to practices without having given her body the fuel required to complete the laborious tasks she kept attempting to achieve.3 Having developed RED-S, Lucy was starving herself and found herself unable to perform on the track.
Though she still faces challenges, Lucy’s experience is a success story because her issue was identified, and she has been able to turn it around and be a competitor on the track once again. Her story must be told, however, because it shows how easily an eating disorder can be triggered and is an example of the debilitating effects of RED-S.
Knowing that field and track athletes are at a higher risk of developing these conditions, coaches, trainers, and even fellow teammates should educate themselves, so symptoms don’t go unnoticed, putting young athletes in danger.
References:
- Macpherson, M.C., et al. (18 August 2022). Investigating coaches’ recognition of symptoms of eating disorders in track athletes.
- Nickols, Riley (PhD, CEDS). (n.d.). Eating Disorders and Athletes.
- Hart, Joshua. 6 May 2021. Woodland High Track Star Battled ‘dark days’ with Eating Disorder.
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