Behaviors and Triggers of Subclinical Eating Disorders in Division III

Volleyball, Swimming, and Cheerleading Female Athletes

Becca Hanley, ATS

Athletic Training Education Program, Emory & Henry College, Emory, Virginia

Abstract
Context: Eating disorders are easily the gravest health problems
facing female athletes, yet are still not recognized as a serious
problem because they are primarily a female issue. This original
research is going to help give a better understanding of the dangers of
subclinical eating disorders and how they can be prevented.
Objective: The objective of this research is to examine the different
triggers and most common behaviors of subclinical eating disorders in
female athletes.
Design: This is a non-experimental design that helps to see what
causes subclinical eating disorders and what behaviors of these
disorders are most prominent among the participants.
Setting: This research took place in the King Center facility at Emory
& Henry College.
Participants: Participants consisted of 29 female athletes from Emory
& Henry College. They included 10 volleyball players, 5 swimmers,
and 14 cheerleaders.
Interventions: The research is a review of responses from the
Female Athlete Screening Tool. The responses were converted to a 4point Likert scale and entered into Minitab software for analysis.
Main Outcome Measures: A statistical analysis was obtained to help
support the data and claim.
Results: Close to half of the total female athletes surveyed admitted
to participating in unsafe subclinical behaviors in order to lose weight.
Among the three sports, the cheerleading team had the highest
percentage of athletes partaking in these types of unsafe behaviors.
Conclusions: The information obtained from the results can help
inform athletes and coaches of the dangers of subclinical eating
disorders.

Introduction
The athletic personality is almost a textbook definition of an
eating disorder personality: compulsive, driven, and self motivated.
Across the nation in almost every college athletics department, there
is an athlete with an eating disorder engaged in intercollegiate
competition. It is essential for college athletics departments to know
what can trigger subclinical eating disorders and what behaviors are
most prominent in these female athletes. A subclinical eating disorder
is described as a specific disordered eating and pathogenic weightcontrol behaviors to manage emotions, weight, and body size. As the
extent of eating-related problems among female athletes increases,
the knowledge of eating disorders seems to be ignored by colleges
and universities. Subclinical eating disorders need to be recognized
as a serious health problem.
For my research I will be focusing on what triggers subclinical
behaviors in female athletes and how these triggers and behaviors
should be avoided. The knowledge gained from this research can be
used to educate and prevent subclinical eating disorders in the female
athlete population across the campuses of colleges and universities.

TEMPLATE DESIGN 2008

www.PosterPresentations.com

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the different triggers and
most common behaviors of subclinical eating disorders in female
athletes, especially focusing on volleyball, swimming, and
cheerleading at the Division III level. This study will provide
researchers with a better understanding of the dangers of subclinical
eating disorders. This will then help to inform athletes, coaches, and
athletics departments on the prevalence of eating disorders in
collegiate females and the behaviors and triggers that should be
avoided.

Methods
Subjects: The subjects of this study were 29 female Division III
collegiate athletes from Emory & Henry College. Included were 10
volleyball players, 5 swimmers, and 14 cheerleaders. The athletes
ranged from 18-22 years of age. The student athletes were given
written informed consent forms before participating in the study and
had the choice of either participating or not participating in the survey.
The procedures and participants in this study were approved and
protected by an Institutional Review Board for the Protection of
Human Subjects.
Instrumentation: The research of this study was conducted by using
the Female Athlete Screening Tool (FAST) and an additional five item
questionnaire developed by the researcher. The FAST screening tool
is a self report 33-item questionnaire that examines atypical exercise
and eating behaviors in female athletes. Respondents rate each item
on a 4-point Likert scale. The Female Athlete Screening Tool has been
validated by the collegiate population as a successful, reliable, and
applicable screening tool for disordered eating.
Procedure: The participants were given the Female Athlete
Screening tool after signing an informed consent form. Each team
took the survey together at a specific time. Each athlete was
instructed to sit away from other teammates and to not discuss their
answers with each other. I explained the purpose of the study and the
confidentiality of the surveys. I monitored the athletes as the surveys
were being taken to make sure the athletes were not discussing or
sharing answers.

Results

Discussion

For this research the results were that out of the 29 female athletes
surveyed with the Female Athlete Screening tool, half of them have
participated in unhealthy behaviors in order to lose weight. Also the
female athletes from the cheerleading team were the most susceptible
to having signs of disordered eating habits due to their type of uniform
required to be worn. When asked if they have participated in unsafe
behaviors, 45% said yes and 55% said no from 29 total athletes. In
terms of the questions about their uniforms, 72% of the female
athletes feel subconscious of their bodies in their uniforms and 83%
have thoughts of how they look in their uniform during practice or
competition. The cheerleading team did state that 79% have felt
subconscious in their uniform during practices and games and 100%
of the team says that they would perform better in competition if they
were wearing a uniform they felt most comfortable in.

When looking at the original hypothesis some conclusions can be

made. The hypothesis first stated that out of the 29 athletes surveyed
half of them have participated in unsafe behaviors in order to lose
weight. This part of the claim was proven to be false, but not by much. A
total of 45% said yes they have participated in these types of behaviors
before and 55% said no they have never participated in these types of
behaviors. On the second part of the hypothesis it states that the
cheerleading team is more susceptible to showing signs of disordered
eating because of the uniform they are required to wear. We know from
the responses, that yes, the cheerleading team had the highest
percentages of participating in unsafe eating behaviors when compared
to the other sports. However, it cannot be stated on whether or not this
was due to their uniforms. This is because 71% of the current team
members feel comfortable wearing their uniform when compared to 29%
of the team not feeling comfortable. From this study we can gather that
while eating disorders are rarely seen in the training room at Emory &
Henry College, nearly half of 29 athletes have participated in disordered
eating habits. Eating disorders are very secretive and most athletes that
participate in disordered eating go to all costs to keep it hidden. I believe
that from the nature of my survey and the small sample size, some of the
athletes did not answer the survey questions honestly, in fear that their
behaviors would be known by their peers and coaches. I maintained as
much confidentiality as possible, yet some athletes still may not feel
comfortable answering questions about their eating and dieting. For
suggested future research I would like to be able to compare the results
of this survey with Division I and Division II athletes. I believe that
comparing all three of the NCAA divisions will give a variety of answers
and maybe Division I and II athletes are more susceptible to eating
disorders due to the nature of their sports compared to Division III
athletics. I would also suggest a larger sample size that included other
sports such as tennis, equestrian, soccer, gymnastics, and dancing. This
will hopefully lead to a better understanding of why female athletes feel
the need to participate in unsafe and unhealthy eating behaviors.

Photos, Tables & Graphs

Name of
Instrument

Total Female
Athletes

Mean
Age

School

FAST

29

19.3

Emory & Henry

College

Statistical Analysis
At the completion of the study, data was transferred to Minitab
(Minitab Inc, State College, PA) for analysis. The independent
variables were transformed into numerical values for inclusion in
statistical analysis. The data is analyzed to see if there is a
relationship or correlation between female athletes and subclinical
eating disorders. Statistical methods used for the independent
variables include mean, variance, standard deviation, Cronbachs
alpha, p-value, and t-test. Statistical analysis was done on all of the
responses of each individual question of the survey and questionnaire
and on each sports teams responses as a group. The different teams
responses are compared to one another along with the comparison of
each questions statistics.

Cronbachs Alpha
Volleyball

0.68

Swimming

0.53

Cheerleading

0.85

Participation in
Unsafe Eating
Behaviors
Percentage
Volleyball: 40%
Swimming:
20%
Cheerleading:
57%

Percentage of Participation in Unsafe Behaviors to Lose Weight by Sport

Responses

Cheerleading

Volleyball

Swimming

Total

Yes

57%

40%

20%

45%

No

43%

60%

80%

55%

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Beth Funkhouser for her assistance with this
research study.
I would also like to thank Emory & Henry women's volleyball,
swimming, and cheerleading teams for participating in this study and
the senior class for their continued support.

Contact Information
Becca Hanley, ATS
DC Cobler, EdD, VATL, ATC, CSCS- Program Director
Beth Funkhouser, MEd, VATL, ATC, CSCS- Clinical Coordinator

Percentage of Unsafe Behaviors in Order to Lose Weight by Sport

Behavior

Cheerleading

Volleyball

Swimming

Total

Weight Loss Pills

50%

30%

20%

38%

Diuretics

14%

0%

0%

7%

Binging/Purging

21%

0%

0%

10%

Laxatives

21%

0%

0%

10%

Vomiting

29%

10%

0%

17%

Excessive Exercise

43%

20%

20%

31%

Other

50%

10%

0%

28%

Emory & Henry College

Athletic Training Education Program
PO Box 947
Emory, Virginia 24327

T: 276.944.6500
F: 276.944.6738
E: dccobler@ehc.edu