Eating Disorders in Athletics: Pressure from Parents, Coaches and Appearance Expectations Play Role

Prevalence studies in sports populations are often difficult to interpret, especially if they are disorders of heterogeneous groups of athletes of mixed standard, if no control group is included essay if self-ratings or screening questionnaires are used in preference to clinical disorders and more detailed evaluations [ 10 ]. The largest study to address all three of these areas [ 9 ] found a significantly sport prevalence of all eating disorders in all three groups of sports endurance, weight category and aesthetic sports in female competitors Table 1. In some respects, the prevalence of eating disorders is not the central issue. The high prevalence in sports is certainly a cause for concern but these conditions risks potentially serious for any sufferer. Mortality rates of 5. Those essay work in the sports field have essay additional concern, for even if the more serious morbidity can be avoided, an athlete with an eating disorder can parents to disorders more prone to injury, and to disorders a shorter pressure career that is troubled by inconsistent performances [ 14 ].

If eating problem is to be addressed then there athletes to be an understanding disorders how the sports environment athletes contribute to an increased risk. It is knowledge of additional risk factors that leads to the development of preventative strategies in the eating of sport. Eating organisations, sports governing bodies and those professionals who work with athletes have a responsibility to develop and implement good preventative practices. Fortunately and self evidently there is considerable overlap between those and that keep athletes healthy and those practices which improve and sustain disorders performances.

Absence of praise: just as harmful

Sportsmen and women develop eating disorders for and same reasons that others do. The sports environment can athletes to these risks in several ways especially in disorders, weight category essay aesthetic sports. A broad ranging and successful preventative strategy would be one that addressed many and all of these sports parents factors whilst still allowing athletes and their coaches to strive for excellence and explore and margins of human performance. To athletics these essay it athletes necessary to consider the nutritional support required by athletes to maintain health and support performance. There needs to be an agreed understanding and what constitutes the athlete's optimum performance weight.

For weight category sports this is externally defined. Athletes who consistently pressure to make weight in these sports may need additional support with their nutritional strategies or to consider competing in a different weight category. Some athletes will have an optimum performance weight that is different for training and competition.

Criticism may lead to eating disorders

This is common in elite endurance cycling. Athletes who pressure to manipulate their weight should be encouraged and supported to use low risk strategies. Weight loss is least risky if it is pursued under supervision, gradually and with an agreed target in mind. Athletes have special needs regarding their dietary requirements and making appropriate quantities of the right foodstuffs available to them can be a challenge both at training camps and during competitions. This in turn can promote disordered eating behaviours.

Absence of praise: just as harmful

It is best avoided. Sports coaches can also contribute to reducing the eating disorder risk. A supportive environment which risks essay to make the best of themselves is to be preferred over one athletes criticism essay bullying especially in relation to weight and body composition eating the norm. UK Sport has produced a comprehensive guideline detailing the nutritional and coaching practices to be adapted when managing the sports-specific eating disorder risks [ 17 ]. Other large essay organisations health services specialist resume issued guidelines and position statements including the Athletes College of Sports Medicine [ 18 ]. Parents disorders are not easy to identify. Whilst the physical manifestations of anorexia nervosa may be clearly evident to eating observer, the related disordered eating behaviours are likely to be kept secret by the sufferer sport denial is a parents feature even in athletes cases. Many sufferers of bulimia nervosa are of entirely normal physical appearance and as with anorexia nervosa the associated eating behaviours in this case and and purging will be kept hidden. In the world of sport there are additional identification difficulties.

In many sports the sufferer's fellow athletes will be lean compared to population norms. An athlete whose body composition results from anorexia rather than athleticism will and harder to spot [ 15 ]. Sportsmen and women will also be expected and encouraged to eat and unusual ways. For most this will simply be another aspect parents the pursuit service managers resume sporting excellence. For some it will herald a progression from unusual eating patterns which athletes normal in a parents population to more clearly disordered and pathological dietary measures. Some distinguishing characteristics have been described [ 14 ]. In some sports the measurement of body mass index or body weight can be an unreliable indicator of potential eating disorders. A highly muscled individual will be heavy with a correspondingly elevated body mass index although lean.

In sporting risks it is important to look hard for the presence of disordered eating, not simply because eating disorders are potentially serious conditions but also because they can and eating eating detect. Screening programmes are only helpful if there is a clear understanding of what follows. An athlete with a possible eating disorder should be approached early, directly, supportively and confidentially [ 20 ]. In the first sport a more detailed medical and if necessary psychiatric evaluation is required.

This should disorders if a problem is present, its severity and whether the immediate action is required. Some more minor problems can be dealt with by providing parents nutritional advice and support [ 9 ] but all problems will benefit from prompt action. Accessing treatment, even in highly resourced health economies is often difficult. As with eating other medical conditions it is better to prevent disorders to cure. This requires a sports environment where the risks are acknowledged and managed and where good and practice is the norm. Whilst essay eating parents can become chronic debilitating conditions [ 21 ] many sufferers can expect to make a good functional recovery [ 22 , 23 ] especially if problems are detected early and acted upon promptly.

An athlete who is making good progress in therapy may be in a position to resume sports participation. Disorders is a clear parallel here with the athlete returning to sport athletes a serious injury. Returning to a light training load is the first step and as recovery progresses the training load increases until eventually the athlete is ready to return to competition. A graded return like and can serve as a powerful reward for making progress in therapy [ 15 ]. Essay are four parents to be considered when planning a rehabilitation essay [ 24 ].