Eating Disorders in College Athletes Essays - 2241 Words

Eating Disorders in College Athletes Every year thousands of students are recruited to be student athletes at colleges and every year approximately 8 million individuals suffer from eating disorders. According to Psychology Applied to Modern Life, eating disorders are defined as â€Å"severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation with weight and unhealthy efforts to control weight (Weiten, Dunn, Hammer, 2011, p. 470).† Eating disorders can include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. With risk factors such as low self esteem, pressure from family, friends and coaches and access to unlimited to food it is no wonder that collegiate athletes have higher rates of eating disorders than regular†¦show more content†¦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 behav iors, 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. With that being said, certain sports put more emphasize on a player’s weight and performance than others. For instance, gymnastics, dancers, wrestlers, divers and long distance runners feature more strain than sports such as basketball, skiing or volleyball. Gymnasts and dancers are highly at risk for developing eating disorders for multiple reasons. The main reason is that their success reliesShow MoreRelatedEssay about Annotated Bibliography666 Words   |  3 PagesAnnotated Bibliography – Nature vs. Nurture (Eating Disorders in Sports) Nanci, H. (n.d). Athletes hunger to win fuels eating disorders. USA Today. Retrieved October 4, 2012, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4amp;hid=108amp;sid=31311eaf-b919-4f19-89a3-14bb34d54865%40sessionmgr114amp;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rchamp;AN=J0E127639281306 Kimiko Hirai Soldati, a 2004 Olympic diver, remembers exactly when her bulimia started. A college coach in Pennsylvania wanted her to comeRead More Eating Disorders Essay1625 Words   |  7 Pageslife of a family dealing with an eating disorder. 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Even though some people believe it is normal to have an eating disorder, people should be aware of the different kind of eating disorders because it is easy to develop these kinds of illnesses and too many innocent teenagers are dying from these unhealthy life choices. There are different types of eating disorders but the most common are AnorexiaRead MoreEye Opener : The Mind And Body1478 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelop many different types of disorders. One type of disorder that is becoming very common in the everyday high school aged student are eating disorders. Even though some people believe it is normal to have an eating disorder, people should be aware of the different kind of eating disorders because it is easy to develop these kinds of illnesses and too many innocent teenagers are dying from these unhealthy life choices. There are different types of eating disorders but the most common are AnorexiaRead More Eating Disorders Among Teens Essay931 Words   |  4 PagesEating Disorders Among Teens Eating Disorders have become a serious issue in the past twenty-five years. Many people have been diagnosed for having an eating disorder. More teens out of any other age group suffer from it. Sports, peer-pressure, and low self-esteem can cause teens to be driven to eating disorders. Anorexia and Bulimia are the two main types of eating disorders. Anorexia is the self-starving behavior that can lead to severe health problems and even death. Bulimia is