ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LOW ENERGY AVAILABILITY, EATING DISORDERS RISK AND BODY DISSATISFACTION IN ADOLESCENT FEMALE ATHLETES

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that athletes at risk of low energy availability can present with symptoms other than those traditionally expected and highlight the complexity of identifying individuals at risk. It is very important to recognize as early as possible the risk of low energy availability by evaluating the presence of symptoms which include menstrual and gastrointestinal dysfunction, injury history, as well as oral contraceptive use. This is especially so in aesthetic sports which require high levels of strength, power, and endurance as well as artistic skills to perform in different environments. This study aimed to verify possible links between low energy availability, eating disorders risks, and body dissatisfaction in aesthetic sports' adolescent athletes. Seventy-one female athletes (mean ± SD, age: 17.55±3.15 years; height: 169.70 ± 6.27 cm; weight: 58.75 ± 6.42 kg; training 13.79±6.71 hours/week) completed questionnaires: Low Energy Availability Questionnaire (LEAF-Q), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), and Body Dissatisfaction Scale (BSQ). Results suggested that most of the examined female athletes fall into the normal range of BMI scores with regard to body mass and eating patterns, but there are athletes with very high scores on the questionnaires among them. No significant correlations were reported between low energy availability and other study variables, but EAT-26 and BSQ scores correlated significantly (r=.694, p<.000). Furthermore, BMI correlated with  BSQ scores (r=.447, p<.000) and EAT-26 scores (r=.265, p<.050). The study confirmed the relationship between body image concerns and pathological eating attitudes among female aesthetic sport athletes, but not with low energy availability.