Introduction & Background: Female athletes are at risk for developing eating disorders, they feel the need to engage in dieting, fasting, vomiting, and diet pills. These actions impact 35-57% of female athletes. An eating disorder can be defined as a variety of mental conditions that are characterized by an imbalance in eating and a weakness in physical or mental health. The female athlete triad is three components including osteoporosis, eating disorders, and amenorrhea (absence of menstrual cycle). Purpose Statement & Research Question: For female athletes around the ages of 18-23, what is the risk of eating disorders compared to their involvement in a competitive sport within the years they are participating in their sport? Literature Review: Sources were pulled from the CINAHL database, these articles are under 5 years of age. Findings: Female athletes develop low body weights. Approximately 4.3% of female athletes struggle with the female triad. The demands of athletes cause extensive stress and unhealthy eating patterns. About 62% of female athletes develop eating disorders. Conclusion & Nursing Implications: Nurses should be educated on how to identify symptoms, educate on risks associated with energy deficiency, and refer athletes to resources. It is important for nurses, coaches, and families to work to promote the health and well-being of athletes, and to prioritize prevention and early intervention when it comes to eating disorders. Key search terms: Search terms include “female athletes”, “the female triad”, “eating disorders”, “eating disorders in sports”, “coaches' role in the female triad”, and “risk for injuries”.

The relationship between maturation rate, body image, depression and eating disorder tendencies was explored in a group of 251 college-age females in order to better understand the developmental progression of body image and related variables. Two aspects of body image were measured, namely, level of body satisfaction and amount of body distortion. Body dissatisfaction was found to be associated with early maturation, depression, and eating disorder tendencies. Body distortion was not found to be associated with any of the primary variables. The significant relationship which was found between maturation rate and level of body satisfaction in young adult females suggests that pubertal timing may have lasting effects on the body satisfaction of women. Body satisfaction and depression were found to contribute significantly to the variance in eating disorder tendency.

People's psychological experience of their body can impact on their lives. Some theories hold that the media creates an impossible physical ideal. The demands of trying to achieve this ideal may lead to normative discontent and psychopathology. Girls are experiencing this pressure at a younger age and the onset of puberty can exacerbate this experience. The present study used case studies and thematic content analysis to explore the issue of body image in twelve preadolescent girls. The research found that hair and the ability of the body to do need to be encompassed in the definition of body image. While the participants appeared to have a positive perception of their body, there also appeared to be negative feelings. This suggested that the participants experienced confusion and ambiguous feelings about their body. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

The purpose of this project was to examine the predictors of risky sexual behaviors and poor eating behaviors for women who experienced childhood sexual abuse, including family hardiness, and depression in a structural equation model. A second group of those who had not been sexually abused as children was also tested using the same structural equation model.

People's psychological experience of their body can impact on their lives. Some theories hold that the media creates an impossible physical ideal. The demands of trying to achieve this ideal may lead to normative discontent and psychopathology. Girls are experiencing this pressure at a younger age and the onset of puberty can exacerbate this experience. The present study used case studies and thematic content analysis to explore the issue of body image in twelve preadolescent girls. The research found that hair and the ability of the body to do need to be encompassed in the definition of body image. While the participants appeared to have a positive perception of their body, there also appeared to be negative feelings. This suggested that the participants experienced confusion and ambiguous feelings about their body. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Tang Wai-yee. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-61). / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Female collegiate athletes have been established as a high-risk group for the development of eating disorders due to the high prevalence rates of clinical and subclinical eating disorders, which have ranged from 1.9% to 16.6% and 4.0% to 26.1%, respectively. Collegiate athletes appear to meet criteria for ED-NOS more often than anorexia or bulimia nervosa, and frequently engage in pathogenic weight control behaviors (e.g., dieting, excessive exercise). To date, only a few studies have examined the long-term stability of eating disorders in collegiate female athletes. The current study investigated the prevalence of eating disorders (i.e., eating disordered, symptomatic, and asymptomatic) and pathogenic weight control behaviors (e.g, binging, vomiting, laxative use) in 325 NCAA-DI female collegiate gymnasts and swimmers/divers across two time points – the beginning of their competitive seasons (Time 1) and during the final two weeks of their competitive seasons (Time 2). By Time 2, 90% of the athletes classified as eating disordered at Time 1 (n = 20) maintained clinical or subclinical eating disturbances. Of the 83 athletes originally symptomatic, 37.3% remained so and 10.8% became eating disordered. Significantly more athletes became satisfied with their bodies over the course of the season than became dissatisfied. The athletes reported using exercise and dieting/fasting as the most frequent forms of weight control behaviors, each of which were used less frequently at Time 2 than at Time 1. The results support overall stability of eating disorder behaviors and classification over the course of a competitive season. Limitations and implications are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exercise duration and level of disordered eating, physical self-esteem, and endorsement of societal mores about attractiveness. Two hundred twenty-nine female college students completed the Bulimia-Test Revised, the Physical Self Perception Profile, the Beliefs About Attractiveness Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Subjects were classified into one of four levels of exercise duration based on the number of hours they reported engaging in planned exercise per week. Significant differences were identified among the four exercise groups in relation to physical self-esteem. The amount of exercise activity individuals engaged in per week, however, was not indicative of their eating disorder symptomatology or beliefs about attractiveness.

This study has found that negative body image is present in third graders, as young as seven years of age. One interesting finding was that a high number of students who viewed body-oriented magazines had a negative body image.

Syfte: Undersöka möjliga metoder till att finna matglädje vid ätstörningar samt undersöka hur användbara dessa metoder kan vara för människor med ätstörningar både i och utanför behandling. Bakgrund: Ätstörningar är ett växande folkhälsoproblem och ett område där det krävs mer uppmärksamhet och forskning för att öka förståelsen och kunskapen av ätstörningar, samt även för att kunna öka förebyggandet och behandling av dessa sjukdomar. Denna uppsats inriktar sig på ätstörningar och matglädje. Det är oerhört viktigt att hitta glädjen för mat när man har en ätstörning för att kunna nå ett friskare liv och ett friskare tänkesätt kring mat och sin egen kropp. Denna uppsats har undersökt möjliga metoder som kan användas för att hjälpa människor med ätstörningar att finna matglädje. En studie har genomförts på Capio Anorexi Center i Malmö som fokuserade på hur personalen arbetar för att hjälpa patienter att finna glädje för mat under behandling, samt hur de arbetar för att förmedla mat på ett positivt sätt för sina patienter. Metod: Litteraturstudier genomfördes både innan och efter undersökningen på Capio Anorexi Center. Undersökningen bestod av kvalitativa halvstrukturerade intervjuer med två av personalen på Capio Anorexi Center, samt med en dietist och en anonym person som har lidit av ätstörningar och gått i behandling. Tre av intervjuerna genomfördes med ljudinspelning och en intervju genomfördes via mejl. Varje intervju varade i cirka 45 minuter. Intervjuerna sammanställdes genom att först skriva av de inspelade intervjuerna och sedan kategorisades svaren för varje intervju till relevanta områden. Därefter analyserades och jämfördes detta med litteratur som böcker, rapporter, vetenskapliga artiklar samt elektroniska källor som var relaterade till matglädje och ätstörningar. Resultat: Elva metoder har undersökts och presenterats i denna uppsats som kan vara användbara till att finna matglädje både i och utanför behandling för de som behöver stöd: att våga, pedagogiska måltider, att äta regelbundet, varierat och planera måltider, att tillaga och servera aptitliga och lockande måltider, mindfulness och mindfulness eating, måltidsmiljö och måltidens sociala betydelse, nutritionsbehandling, saperemetoden, att äta lugnt och avslappnat, måltidsundervisning via en video- och ljuduppspelning vid måltider samt att stänga ute myter, bantning och skönhetsideal. Slutsats: Elva möjliga metoder som kan vara användbara till att finna matglädje har funnits. Detta genom förstudier med litteratur, en undersökning på Capio Anorexi Center och intervjuer, samt genom en analys och jämförelser mellan intervjuerna och litteratur som relaterade till ätstörningar och matglädje. Dessa metoder kan vara möjliga att använda för att kunna återfå ett friskare tankesätt kring mat och måltider samt för att kunna finna glädje för mat. Att finna matglädjen vid ätstörningar är ett steg mot ett friskare liv, dock för att kunna bli helt frisk från en ätstörning krävs det att dessa metoder kombineras med andra olika terapiformer, då det är viktigt att även arbeta med bland annat självkänsla och självförtroende, samt eventuellt andra svåra problem och symtom. / Background: Eating disorders are a growing public health concern which requires more attention and research to increase the understanding and prevention of eating disorders. This paper focuses on eating disorders and its relation to the joy of food. It is very important to find joy for food when suffering from an eating disorder to achieve a healthier life and healthier thinking around food and the body. This paper has examined possible methods that can be used for treating people with eating disorders to enjoy food. The study was conducted at Capio Anorexia Center in Malmö, a daycare clinic for eating disorders, and the study was focused on how the staff works to help patients find joy for food during treatment, and how they work to express food in a positive way to their patients. Methods: Literature studies were carried out before and after the study at Capio Anorexia Center. Qualitative half structured interviews were also carried out with two of the staff at Capio Anorexia Center, and with a dietitian and an anonymous person who has suffered from an eating disorder and received treatment. Three of the interviews were conducted with sound recording and the other one was conducted via email. Each interview lasted about 45 minutes. The interviews were compiled by first writing of the recorded interviews and then the answers for each interview were categorized to relevant fields. An analysis and comparison of these interviews to various literatures like books, reports, scientific papers and internet sources related to enjoying food and eating disorders were also carried out. Results: Eleven methods were found that may be useful to find joy for food both in treatment and outside of treatment for those who need support: daring, educational meals, eating regularly, varied and plan meals, cook and serve appealing meals, mindfulness and mindfulness eating, eating environment and social importance when eating, nutritional therapy, the “sapere-method”, eating slow and relaxed, the use of vodcast during meals and to keep out myths, dieting and beauty ideals. Conclusions: Eleven possible methods that may be useful to find joy for food have been found. This by preliminary studies with literature, a study at Capio Anorexia Center and interviews, and also by analyzing and comparing the interviews with literature related to eating disorders and enjoying food. The eleven methods described may be useful when regaining joy for food and a healthier thinking when it comes to food and meal situations. An important step in recovering from an eating disorder is to find pleasure when eating; therefore these methods can be possible tools to help people with eating disorders to find the joy for food. However, to reach a healthy life free from an eating disorder these methods described in this paper has to be combined with a variety of other therapies, because it is also important to work with self-esteem, self-confidence, and other symptoms and problems of the eating disorder.