Assessment of Eating Disorder Risk According to Sport Level, Sex, and Social Media Use Among Polish Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2024 Oct 26

PMID 39458466

Authors

Wiktoria Staskiewicz-Bartecka

Grzegorz Zydek

Malgorzata Magdalena Michalczyk

Marek Kardas

Oskar Kowalski

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background/objectives: Eating disorders (EDs) pose a significant health issue affecting athletes, with risk factors varying by sport level, sex, and social media use. This study assesses the risk of EDs among professional and amateur football players, considering these factors, and compares findings with a control group of non-athletes.

Methods: The study involved 170 participants, including non-athletes as a control group, categorized by sex and sport level. The mean age of participants was 24.3 ± 4.20, with an age range of 18-36. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and body mass index (BMI) assessments were used to determine ED risk.

Results: Results showed a higher prevalence of ED risk among professional athletes, especially women, compared to amateurs and non-athletes. Social media use and body comparisons were linked to increased ED risk, with professional athletes exhibiting higher vulnerability due to performance pressures. Women, particularly those in professional sports, showed a higher risk of EDs than men, influenced by social and aesthetic pressures.

Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, promoting healthier body image perceptions and addressing social media's role in shaping body dissatisfaction. Psychological support and sex-specific strategies should be integrated into athlete care programs to mitigate these risks.

Citing Articles

Examining the moderating role of physical fitness on the relationship between ice and snow sports participation and health outcomes in China.

Song W, Cui J BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2025; 17(1):37.

PMID: 40038815 PMC: 11877848. DOI: 10.1186/s13102-025-01073-x.

References

Torstveit M, Sundgot-Borgen J . The female athlete triad: are elite athletes at increased risk?. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005; 37(2):184-93. DOI: 10.1249/01.mss.0000152677.60545.3a. View

Neglia A . Nutrition, Eating Disorders, and Behavior in Athletes. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2021; 44(3):431-441. DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2021.04.009. View

Ng T, Sanders H, Merrill S, Faustin M . Media's Effect on Athletes' Mental Health. Clin Sports Med. 2023; 43(1):187-198. DOI: 10.1016/j.csm.2023.06.022. View

Pustivsek S, Hadzic V, Dervisevic E, Carruthers J . Risk for eating disorders and body composition among adolescent female and male athletes and non-athlete controls. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2019; 32(4). DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2017-0190. View

Holland G, Tiggemann M . A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image. 2016; 17:100-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008. View

Staskiewicz-Bartecka W, Kardas M . Eating Disorders Risk Assessment and Body Esteem among Amateur and Professional Football Players. Nutrients. 2024; 16(7). PMC: 11013787. DOI: 10.3390/nu16070945. View

Baldo Vela D, Bonfanti N, Villarino Marin L . Eating disorders risk assessment in men who practice team sports. Front Nutr. 2022; 9:957075. PMC: 9556847. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.957075. View

Slater A, Tiggemann M . Gender differences in adolescent sport participation, teasing, self-objectification and body image concerns. J Adolesc. 2010; 34(3):455-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.06.007. View

Eichstadt M, Luzier J, Cho D, Weisenmuller C . Eating Disorders in Male Athletes. Sports Health. 2020; 12(4):327-333. PMC: 7787561. DOI: 10.1177/1941738120928991. View

10.

Griffiths S, Castle D, Cunningham M, Murray S, Bastian B, Barlow F . How does exposure to thinspiration and fitspiration relate to symptom severity among individuals with eating disorders? Evaluation of a proposed model. Body Image. 2018; 27:187-195. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.10.002. View

11.

Barakat S, McLean S, Bryant E, Le A, Marks P, Touyz S . Risk factors for eating disorders: findings from a rapid review. J Eat Disord. 2023; 11(1):8. PMC: 9847054. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00717-4. View

12.

Fardouly J, Diedrichs P, Vartanian L, Halliwell E . Social comparisons on social media: the impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image. 2015; 13:38-45. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.12.002. View

13.

Flatt R, Thornton L, Fitzsimmons-Craft E, Balantekin K, Smolar L, Mysko C . Comparing eating disorder characteristics and treatment in self-identified competitive athletes and non-athletes from the National Eating Disorders Association online screening tool. Int J Eat Disord. 2020; 54(3):365-375. PMC: 8006447. DOI: 10.1002/eat.23415. View

14.

Chapman J, Woodman T . Disordered eating in male athletes: a meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2015; 34(2):101-9. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2015.1040824. View

15.

Sundgot-Borgen J, Torstveit M . Prevalence of eating disorders in elite athletes is higher than in the general population. Clin J Sport Med. 2004; 14(1):25-32. DOI: 10.1097/00042752-200401000-00005. View

16.

Neumark-Sztainer D, Wall M, Haines J, Story M, Sherwood N, van den Berg P . Shared risk and protective factors for overweight and disordered eating in adolescents. Am J Prev Med. 2007; 33(5):359-369. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2007.07.031. View

17.

Baldo Vela D, Bonfanti N . [Eating disorders risk assessment on semi-professional male team sports players]. Nutr Hosp. 2019; 36(5):1171-1178. DOI: 10.20960/nh.02630. View

18.

Mari-Sanchis A, Burgos-Balmaseda J, Hidalgo-Borrajo R . Eating disorders in sport. Update and proposal for an integrated approach. Endocrinol Diabetes Nutr (Engl Ed). 2022; 69(2):131-143. DOI: 10.1016/j.endien.2022.02.016. View

19.

Dolan B . A two-stage epidemiological study of abnormal eating attitudes and their prospective risk factors in Polish schoolgirls. Psychol Med. 1996; 26(5):1021-32. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291700035340. View