Eating Disorders in College Athletes

How the NCAA Should Address Disordered Eating

By Madison Machado|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on February 21, 2022)

Eating disorders have become increasingly common in athletics over the years: over one third of female athletes reported attitudes and symptoms putting them at risk for anorexia nervosa. Although most athletes that suffer from eating disorders are female, male athletes are at risk as well.

There are many factors of athletics that can lead to developmental eating disorders. For instance, sports that emphasize appearance (gymnastics, diving, bodybuilding, and wrestling) teach athletes to place their self-worth in the way they look. Sports that focus on individual performance (gymnastics, track, figure skating, and diving) can cause disordered eating when athletes put too much pressure on themselves to get the results, and take drastic measures to do so. Some athletes function on the thought that the “skinnier” they are, the less “weight” they have to carry, and the faster they race.

This outdated belief that lower body weight will improve performance is another major factor that goes into body dysmorphia. Coaches who focus primarily on success and performance rather than on the athlete as a whole can contribute to body dysmorphia as well.

With these statistics, the NCAA needs to get involved and address this issue.

The NCAA can start by promoting a positive, person-oriented, coaching style.
The NCAA should implement a mandatory training course for all coaches on how to identify eating disorders amongst their athletes and how to correctly and safely deal with the situation.
The NCAA should place more emphasis on educating their athletes on eating disorders as well, through similar training materials.

Overall, the NCAA needs to start caring about the athlete as a whole person, rather than part of a money-making industry.