Triggers of Eating Disorders in Athletes

NCT ID: NCT06518954

Last Updated: 2025-09-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 30 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-11-15
• Study Completion Date: 2025-12-30

Brief Summary

Over the past 30 years, a high prevalence of eating disorders in sports has been repeatedly documented, yet few preventive measures have been implemented. While most studies explore risk factors through quantitative means, few have investigated how athletes themselves experience the triggering elements in sports and how they perceive these triggers could be better managed. Another persistent question is why some athletes from a given sport and environment develop eating disorders while others do not. This study explore the experienced triggers reported by athletes who have struggled with eating disorders and compare them to the perspectives of athletes without eating disorders from the same environment. The study also aim to gather perceptions from both groups on how eating disorders and body dissatisfaction could be better addressed and prevented in sports.

Detailed Description

Thirty years ago a Norwegian publication explored what athletes with eating disorders have experienced as the causes to their condition. Early specialization and sports cultures with early introduction to weighing and weight adjustment, high training volume, and traumatic experiences (body comments, loss of an important coach, family events) were highlighted as key self-perceived causes. This study and findings have been regularly cited and upheld as facts in professional and research literature but have not been further explored or replicated and confirmed since. This may be part of the reason why the sports world has not fully recognized its responsibility for measures despite the prevalence of eating disorders remaining unchanged over these decades. There is a need to continue exploring why some athletes develop eating disorders while others from the same conditions do not. This can be done by building on previous research and knowledge, examining specific personal or situational factors that may constitute an additional vulnerability, and also by considering self-experiences. There is also a need to understand what athletes believe can help reduce body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This is especially relevant when considering how both the sports world and society have changed over these 30 years. Early specialization in sports, the desire to be a talent at a young age, and the massive influence of social media are factors that may be particularly challenging risk factors. Better knowledge can be used to develop supportive guidelines for sports teams and cultures, necessary rule changes, and in the education, training, and awareness of sports coaches and support staff. Such knowledge is also crucial when the sports world itself is to design the content of a national action plan to prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in sports.

Conditions

Eating Disorders

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_CONTROL
• Study Time Perspective: RETROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Athlete with eating disorder

Athletes with/with a history of eating disorder while competing in sport

Interview

Intervention Type: OTHER

The athletes contributes with experience exchange through individual interviews, following a interview template

Athlete without eating disorder

Athletes without any history of eating disorder and originating from the same club or team as the athlete with an eating disorder

Interview

Intervention Type: OTHER

The athletes contributes with experience exchange through individual interviews, following a interview template

Interventions

Interview

The athletes contributes with experience exchange through individual interviews, following a interview template

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• previous/current competitive career in sport
• cohort 1: athlete with an/with a history of an eating disorder
• cohort 2: athlete from the same club without an eating disorder

Exclusion Criteria

• disabled athletes
• not competitive athlete (below Tier 3)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 16 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Ostfold University College

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Therese Fostervold Mathisen

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Therese F Mathisen, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Associate Professor

Locations

Østfold University College

Fredrikstad, , Norway

Site Status: RECRUITING

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

Oslo, , Norway

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Norway

Central Contacts

Therese F Mathisen, PhD

Role: CONTACT

therese.f.mathisen@hiof.no

+4795752818

Jorunn K Sundgot-Borgen, PhD

Role: CONTACT

jorunn.sundgot-borgen@nih.no

+4792241745

Facility Contacts

Therese F Mathisen, PhD

Role: primary

therese.f.mathisen@hiof.no

95752818

Jorunn K Sundgot-Borgen, PhD

Role: primary

jorunn.sundgot-Borgen@nih.no

+4792241745

Therese F Mathisen, PhD

Role: backup

therese.f.mathisen@hiof.no

95752818

References

Sundgot-Borgen J. Prevalence of eating disorders in elite female athletes. Int J Sport Nutr. 1993 Mar;3(1):29-40. doi: 10.1123/ijsn.3.1.29.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 8499936 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

734444

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id