DIETING AND BODY

IMAGE IN AESTHETIC

BASED SPORTS

By Cassandra Muir

Link Link

BACKGROUND[1]

• High prevalence of negative body image and extreme diets in elite sports.

• Athletes in aesthetic sports are at greater risk

• Ballet

• Dance

• Gymnastics

• Diving

• Synchronised swimming

• Aesthetic athletes partake in extreme diets and pathogenic dieting

• Self- induced vomiting

• Laxative use

• Fasting

• Diets pills

Distorted body image in younger years likelihood of eating disorders in teens and adults [2]

PREVIOUS STUDY[1]

• Karin de Bruin - ‘Dieting and Body image in aesthetic sports’

• Tested

• 17 elite gymnasts

• 51 non elite gymnasts

• 85 controls

• Found aesthetic athletes recorded higher levels of distorted eating and frequent dieting and weight loss methods.

• Athletes believed coach placed weight related pressure on them.

• Aesthetic athletes and non-athletes both had high levels of body dissatisfaction.

Aesthetic athletes believe you must be thin to win [2]

VS

General population believe thin is beautiful [2]

• Ideal body type varies depending on the sport.

• Aesthetic sports have a preconceived idea that a certain body type enhances ones aesthetic performance.

• Ballet companies = strict weight requirements.

• Large emphasis on ‘ideal’ body type = majority athletes suffer from body image dissatisfaction and distorted eating patterns.

IMPORTANCE OF BODY TYPE[3] [4]

EATING DISORDERS[5]

Link

• 3 main categories [5]

• Anorexia nervosa

• Bulimia

• Anorexia athletica

• Extreme fear of gaining weight & distorted body perception.

• energy intake.

• energy expenditure.

• Pathogenic dieting

• Binge eating

• Self-induced vomiting

• Laxative use

• Diet pills

• Health complications

Link

HEALTH COMPLICATIONS[6]

• J. Brooks- Gunn ‘The relation of eating problems and amenorrhea in ballet dancers’.

• Tested 55 professional ballerinas.

• Majority of ballerinas were anorexic and/ or on low caloric diets.

• Found 56% had delayed menarche (menstruation began at 14 or later).

• 19% had amenorrhea (no menstrual period for five or more months consecutively).

FEMALE ATHLETE TRIAD[7]

Osteoporosis

• Low bone density

• Increase fracture

risk

Amenorrhea

• Low body fat

percentage

Disordered Eating

• Low caloric intake

• Excessive

exercise

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

• emphasis placed on weight requirements.

• Focus of fitness and healthy eating of individuals.

• Change preconceived idea that these athletes need to be a particular body size.

• By changing the current recognised standards we could the risk of these athletes developing negative body images that may result in an eating disorder.

FURTHER RESEARCH

• A lot of literature surrounding female aesthetic athletes within the field of dieting and body image.

• Limited studies have been conducted on aesthetic male athletes.

• The pressures placed on these male athletes is quite high.

• Important to conduct studies on the prevalence of these issues within men in this sporting arena.

CONCLUSION

• Emphasis on ‘ideal’ body type needs to stop.

• Athletes are under great pressure to be a particular size.

• Puts this population at risk of major health complications, and psychological problems.

• Our job as coaches, teachers, directors, parents and individuals is to alter what is required and accepted of these athletes in terms of their weight and body image.

QUESTION

How can we change the industries predetermined standards of diet

and body image in aesthetic sports, to increase the overall

health of these athletes?

REFERENCE LIST

1. De Bruin, A., R.R. Oudejans, and F.C. Bakker, Dieting and body image in aesthetic sports: A comparison of Dutch female gymnasts and non-aesthetic sport participants. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2007. 8(4): p. 507-520.

2. Smolak, L., Body image in children and adolescents: where do we go from here? Body image, 2004. 1(1): p. 15-28.

3. Snell, E.L., Some nutritional strategies for healthy weight management in adolescent ballet dancers. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 1998. 13: p. 117-119.

4. Le Grange, D., J. Tibbs, and T.D. Noakes, Implications of a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa in a ballet school. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1994. 15(4): p. 369-376.

5. Sundgot-Borgen, J. and M.K. Torstveit, Prevalence of eating disorders in elite athletes is higher than in the general population. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2004. 14(1): p. 25.

6. Brooks-Gunn, J., M.P. Warren, and L.H. Hamilton, The relation of eating problems and amenorrhea in ballet dancers. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1987. 19(1): p. 41-44.

7. Torstveit, M.K. and J. Sundgot-Borgen, The female athlete triad: are elite athletes at increased risk? Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2005. 37(2): p. 184-193.

REFERENCE LIST

Photo Credit

• Day 10 Gymnastics (24 Aug 2010)<http://www.flickr.com/photos/singapore2010/4923973802/> , Singapore Youth Olympic Games <http://creativecommonns.org/licences/by-nc/2.0/deed.en>

• Swan Lake ballet, from P. I. Tchaikovsky, performed by the ballet of Kiev <http://www.flickr.com/photos/eblingandreas/5602910026/sizes/I/in/photostream/>, P.I <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en>

• When food becomes a nightmare <http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanocovre/7188776216/.>, Stefano Covre<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en>

• Thin <http://www.flickr.com/photos/st4bucks/3662092601/>, st4rbuck <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en>