"In Favor of Myself for Athletes": A Controlled Trial to Improve Disordered Eating, Body-Image and Self-Care in Adolescent Female Aesthetic Athletes
Received Date: Nov 18, 2018 / Accepted Date: Nov 22, 2018 / Published Date: Nov 24, 2018
Abstract
Objective: An eating disorder can have devastating effects on an athlete’s health and performance, especially in athletes participating in sports in which low body weight or leanness confers a competitive advantage. The current study aimed to develop and examine the impact of a prevention program focused on positive protective factors, to reduce the risk of development of eating disorders and health-compromising behaviors among aesthetic athletes.
Methods: Participants were 49 female figure skaters and dancers aged 10-16 years (13.1 ± 1.6) and 46 age-andbranch- matched controls. The intervention program included ten weekly 45 min structured sessions, focusing on promoting self-care habits and positive body esteem. The program was team-based and included multiple interactive methods. Outcomes were measured at baseline, post-intervention, and 3 months follow-up using the Eating Disorders Inventory-2, the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire-8, the Thin-Ideal Internalization and Socio- Cultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-4, the Body Esteem Scale, and the Body Appreciation Scale.
Results: Aesthetic athletes in the prevention program "A Controlled Trial to Improve Disordered Eating, Body- Image and Self-Care in Adolescent Female Aesthetic Athletes" demonstrated significant improvements in several outcome measures, many with a large effect size, compared with control athletes. Results revealed significant decreases in drive for thinness (P<0.001; ƞ2=0.170) and eating disorder symptoms (P<0.001; ƞ2=0.243), increased body esteem (P<0.001; ƞ2=0.213), decreased influences on body image by media (P<0.001; ƞ2=0.168), and more. The program had greater impact on athletes aged 10-12 years compared to 13-16-year-olds in terms of thin-ideal internalization (F(2.79, 160.00)= 3.267; p=0.027) and body esteem (F(2.52, 160.00)= 3.095; p=0.038).
Conclusion: This study provides an initial indication that " A Controlled Trial to Improve Disordered Eating, Body- Image and Self-Care in Adolescent Female Aesthetic Athletes" may produce an effective impact on promoting a positive body image and self-care in female adolescent athletes.
Keywords: Adolescents; Athletes; Eating disorders; Prevention; Selfesteem; Body image; Media literacy
Citation: Mouallem M, Golan M (2018) "In Favor Of Myself for Athletes": A Controlled Trial to Improve Disordered Eating, Body-Image and Self-Care in Adolescent Female Aesthetic Athletes. J Community Med Health Educ 8: 633. Doi: 10.4172/2161-0711.1000633
Copyright: © 2018 Mouallem M, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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