Christy Greenleaf

Female Collegiate Athletes: Prevalence of Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating Behaviors.

Objective: The authors assessed the prevalence of pathogenic eating and weight-control behaviors among female college athletes, using a psychometrically valid measure. Participants: Participants were 204 college athletes (M age = 20.16 years, SD = 1.31 years) from 17 sports at 3 universities. On average, they participated in their sport for 10.88 years (SD = 16.68 years) and on their college team for 2.10 years (SD = 1.03 years). Methods: Participants completed a demographic and weight background questionnaire, Questionnaire for Eating Disorder Diagnoses, and the Bulimia Test-Revised. Results: The authors classified participants as eating disordered (n = 4, 2.0%), symptomatic (n = 52, 25.5%), and asymptomatic (n = 148, 72.5%). Few participants engaged in binge eating; most used exercise, as opposed to vomiting, dieting, laxatives, or diuretics, to control their weight. Conclusions: Female athletes suffer from eating disorders, and most experience symptom levels that are subclinical but problematic.

A survey of U.S. Atlanta and Nagano Olympians: Variables perceived to influence performance

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and magnitude of specific variables perceived to have affected U.S. Olympic athlete performance. Participants included 296 Atlanta Olympians and 83 Nagano Olympians. Olympians rated how they perceived specific variables influenced their Olympic performance. Results revealed that numerous variables, including performance influences, such as preparation for distractions and loss of composure; team variables, such as strong cohesion and positive coach-athlete relationships; coaching variables, including coachs ability to deal with crises and coaching expectations; family-friend variables, including general social support and getting event tickets for family and friends; and environmental concerns, such as venue transportation difficulties and Olympic village distractions; were perceived to influence performance. Findings verified the results of qualitative interviews conducted with Olympic athletes and coaches.

Weight status and body image perceptions in adolescents: current perspectives

Adolescence represents a pivotal stage in the development of positive or negative body image. Many influences exist during the teen years including transitions (eg, puberty) that affect one’s body shape, weight status, and appearance. Weight status exists along a spectrum between being obese (ie, where one’s body weight is in the 95th percentile for age and gender) to being underweight. Salient influences on body image include the media, which can target adolescents, and peers who help shape beliefs about the perceived body ideal. Internalization of and pressures to conform to these socially prescribed body ideals help to explain associations between weight status and body image. The concepts of fat talk and weight-related bullying during adolescence greatly contribute to an overemphasis on body weight and appearance as well as the development of negative body perceptions and dissatisfaction surrounding specific body parts. This article provides an overview of the significance of adolescent development in shaping body image, the relationship between body image and adolescent weight status, and the consequences of having a negative body image during adolescence (ie, disordered eating, eating disorders, and dysfunctional exercise). Practical implications for promoting a healthy weight status and positive body image among adolescents will be discussed.

Meeting Physical Activity Guidelines and Health-Related Fitness in Youth

BACKGROUND National physical activity guidelines have been developed for Americans. Interest lies in the relationship between meeting the national physical activity guidelines and physical fitness outcomes in youth. Theoretically, those who meet the physical activity guidelines are more physically fit, which translates to better health and reduced risk. PURPOSE To examine the relationship between youth self-reported physical activity behaviors sufficient to meet DHHS Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and an external health criterion: achievement of the FITNESSGRAM(®) Healthy Fitness Zone™ (HFZ). METHODS Logistic regression was used to examine achievement of the HFZ for three physical fitness measures (i.e., aerobic capacity, BMI, and muscle fitness) separately, and for all three combined, based on self-reported physical activity of 7 days per week for aerobic activity and ≥3 days per week of muscle-strengthening activity. One model examined the direct relationship between physical activity and fitness measures, and a second model assessed the same relationship while controlling for gender, age, ethnicity, economic status, and school. Data were collected during the 2009-2010 academic year and analyzed in 2012. RESULTS Adolescents failing to meet national aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity guidelines have higher odds of not achieving healthy physical fitness levels of aerobic capacity, BMI, muscle fitness, and the combination of all three. An increase in the number of days of aerobic activity was related to decreased odds of being in the Needs Improvement Fitness Zone. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide further support that meeting the national physical activity guidelines produces health benefits for youth.

Personality and Psychological Factors as Predictors of Disordered Eating Among Female Collegiate Athletes

This article examined the relationship of perfectionism, psychological well-being (self-esteem and optimism), reasons for exercising and appearance orientation to eating disorder classification among 204 female collegiate athletes. Multivariate analyses showed that only self-esteem, exercising to improve appearance and be more attractive, and appearance orientation differentiated significantly between the symptomatic/eating disordered athletes and those who were asymptomatic. No differences existed between the two groups of athletes on perfectionism, optimism, or exercising for fitness/health. For athletes, self-esteem, appearance orientation and exercising to be attractive and improve appearance were most important for understanding their level of disordered eating.

Relations of Body Concerns and Exercise Behavior: A Meta-Analysis

Numerous studies have examined the relations between body concerns and exercise. This meta-analysis is based on 35 studies with exercise programs influencing body concerns. There was an overall effect of .45, suggesting that exercise positively affects body concerns. Moderator variables, such as sex, type of exercise, and length of intervention were examined and discussed. Generally, there were no sex differences in effects of exercise on body concerns, but anaerobic exercise such as weight training generated a stronger effect (d=.64) than aerobic-type exercises such as jogging (d=.40).

Fighting Fat: How Do Fat Stereotypes Influence Beliefs About Physical Education

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ beliefs about youth obesity, the roles of schools and physical education in addressing obesity, and the training they receive to work with overweight youth.

Relationship of Weight-Based Teasing and Adolescents' Psychological Well-Being and Physical Health.

BACKGROUND To date, research has focused primarily on psychological correlates of weight-based teasing. In this study, we extended previous work by also examining physical health-related variables (eg, physical self-concept and physical fitness [PF]). METHODS Participants included 1419 middle school students (637 boys and 782 girls). Of these, 245 (17.3%) reported being teased about being overweight. Participants completed measures of self-esteem, depression, physical self-concept, physical activity (PA) self-efficacy, and self-report physical and sedentary activities. Participants also completed PF testing. RESULTS After controlling for demographic characteristics, participants who were teased about being overweight had higher scores on depression and lower scores on self-esteem, physical self-concept, PA self-efficacy, and health-related measures of PF in comparison to participants who were not teased. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study support previous research indicating relationships between teasing and low levels of psychological well-being, physical self-concept, and PA self-efficacy, and establishes one between weight-based teasing and different types of PF. Research is needed to determine the potential causal nature of the relationships between teasing and fitness and evidence-based interventions are needed to reduce weight-based teasing and its potential effects on health and well-being.

Moderators of the internalization-body dissatisfaction relationship in middle school girls.

The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend previous research by examining the moderating effects of self-esteem, physical self-concept, physical appearance comparisons, BMI, pubertal status, and cardiorespiratory fitness, on the internalization-body dissatisfaction relationship in middle school girls. Hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) was used to examine direct and moderating effects of these variables. Internalization was related directly and significantly to body dissatisfaction, as were the proposed moderators (i.e., self-esteem, physical self-concept, physical appearance comparisons, BMI, pubertal status, and cardiorespiratory fitness); however, these variables failed to significantly influence the internalization-body dissatisfaction relationship. Possible explanations for the lack of moderating effects and directions for future research are discussed.

An Examination of Psychosocial Correlates of Eating Disorders Among Female Collegiate Athletes

With female collegiate athletes, we examined the relationship of eating pathology to body image concerns, weight pressures, sociocultural internalization, and mood state. Multivariate analyses revealed that the symptomatic and eating disorder groups were similar on seven of eight weight pressures, three of four mood states, on internalization, and on five of six body image measures; in all instances, these two groups reported more pathological scores than the asymptomatic athletes. Except for pressures from coaches, the psychosocial variables differentiated the groups, correctly classifying 79% of the cases. These findings suggest that athletes symptomatic of eating disorders report similarly high levels of disturbance across a wide range of psychosocial risk factors, and both groups warrant prevention and treatment efforts.