Disordered Eating – Current Screening Problems in Athletes: Literature Review

Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation

Description

Disordered eating is a serious issue in sports medicine and can occur in any athlete at any time. To avoid serious outcomes, subsequently early screening is encouraged.. Literature search on PubMed was done in January 2023 using the following search keywords "athlete", "eating disorder". Search results included 49 free full text articles written in the English language from 2018 to 2023. Articles addressing screening of eating disorders in athletes were selected for inclusion in the review.. A total of 6 articles were identified regarding screening of eating disorders in athletes. Several different screening tools have been mentioned in these articles addressing problems in their use due to individual factors. Research shows a high prevalence of disordered eating in athletes (2-45%). Due to pressure, regulations and sports specific expectations athletes may present differently and are more prone to normalize these practices (food rituals, compensatory or rigid eating behaviors). Athletes participating in sports where thinness, aesthetics, weight categories are important, have higher risk of disordered eating than athletes from other sports. At the same time there are gender differences (clinical presentation, shame, stigma in male athletes and commentaries, expectations affecting more female athletes). Higher risk to develop eating disorders have been found in elite athletes, while athletes competing in lower levels show higher risk than non-athletes.. Due to individual peculiarities, disordered eating in athletes might be overlooked using currently available tools. Athletes, coaches and sports medicine physicians should be educated and well informed. Sports and gender specific, individualized screening tools to detect disordered eating early should be developed in sports medicine.
Period29 Mar 2023
Event titleRSU International Research Conference 2023: Knowledge for Use in Practice
Event typeConference
OrganiserRīga Stradiņš University
LocationRiga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

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