Coordinator: University of Ljubljana Faculty of Sport, Slovenia
Ski Association of Slovenia
Alpine Association of Slovenia
University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology, Croatia
Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan Zagreb, Croatia
Gymnastic Association of Croatia
Abstract
The aim and vision of the Eating disorders in sport: Opening coaches' eyes (EDS - OCE) project is to contribute to mental health initiatives within regional sport environment by increasing awareness about the problem of eating disorders in sport. More specifically, the aim is to determine the extent to which sport coaches can identify eating disorders in their respective sports (artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, climbing and skiing), which are the limiting factors that influence the process of recognising symptoms and reacting to them, and what advice they would offer to athletes with eating disorders. The main aim is to develop an educational tool (interactive workshop) for coaches that would increase their awareness about eating disorders. The objectives are centred on three key pillars: (a) state of the art study on eating disorders in sport (analysis of existing literature), (b) thorough needs assessment by collecting qualitative data in three applied partner organisations, and (c) development and evaluation of eating disorders in sport workshop for coaches. These educational resources and tools will be developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated within the project lifespan. The project provides a direct added value within the EU context by focusing on the development of mental health competencies of coaches. As such, this project directly addresses the Erasmus+ horizontal priority for Sport: ‘Promoting education in and through sport’ and more specifically, the sub-priorities: ‘Supporting skills development in sport’ and ‘Promoting the quality of coaching and staff’.
List of essential readings on eating disorders in sport (part of WP1 report)
Berengüí, R., Angosto, S., Hernández-Ruiz, A. et al., (2024). Body image and eating disorders in aesthetic sports: A systematic review of assessment and risk, Sci sports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2023.03.006
Coelho, G. M., et al. (2014). Prevention of eating disorders in female athletes. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 5, 105-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S36528
Haslam, R. L., Clarke, E. D., Gray, S., Gearon, R., & Pursey, K. (2021). Findings from a web content analysis of resources targeting sporting coaches aimed at educating or upskilling on eating disorders and disordered eating in athletes. Journal of Eating Disorders, 9:159. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00512-7
Hildebrandt, T. B. (2005). A Review of Eating Disorders in Athletes: Recommendations for Secondary School Prevention and Intervention Programs. Journal of Applied School Psychology
Journal of Applied School Psychology, 21(2):145-167. doi: 10.1300/J008v21n02_08
Nattiv, A., Loucks, A. B., Manore, M. M., Sanborn, C. F., Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Warren, M. P., (2007). American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. The female athlete triad. Med Sci Sports Exerc., 39(10), 1867-82. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e318149f111. PMID: 17909417.
Macpherson, M. C, Harrison, R., Marie, D., et al., (2022). Investigating coaches’ recognition of symptoms of eating disorders in track athletes. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 8: e001333. doi:10.1136/ bmjsem-2022-001333
Marrows, M., Grover, H., Buckley, G., Jeacocke, N. A., & Walton, C. C. (2023). Disordered eating in elite youth athletes: A scoping review of studies published since 2000, JSAMS Plus, 2, 100040.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsampl.2023.100040
Sick, K., Sabiston, C. M., Maharaj, A., & Pila, E., (2022). Body image and disordered eating prevention in girls’ sport: A partner-driven and stakeholder-informed scoping review of interventions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 61.
Voelker, D. K., Visek, A. J., Learner, J. L., & DiBiasio, M. (2022). Toward understanding of coaches’ role in athletes’ eating pathology: A systematic review and ecological application to advance research. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102059
Wells, K.R., et al. (2020). The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) position statement on disordered eating in high performance sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54:1247–1258. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-101813
EATING DISORDERS IN SPORT: OPENING COACHES’ EYES - PROJECT MEETINGS
Kick-off meeting: Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, 15th & 16th January 2024
The kick-off meeting of the project "Eating disorders in sport: Opening coaches’ eyes" took place on January 15 and 16, 2024 at the Faculty of Sport in Ljubljana. The main goal of the meeting was to get to know all the collaborators and build a good working relationship. At the beginning, the characteristics of eating disorders in sport, their prevalence and coaches' perceptions were presented. The consortium discussed in detail the working definitions of eating disorders in sport. The administrative and practical project arrangements were also presented.
The second day of the meeting was dedicated to the definition of decriptors to be used in WP1. The aim of WP1 is to produce a state-of-the-art study on eating disorders in sport. As foreseen in the proposal, the partners from UL, UZ and PHSV will analyse the current scientific literature on eating disorders in sport and develop a common understanding. The report of WP1 will provide the knowledge for the development of the interview procedure for coaches, which is the aim of WP2.
The second meeting: Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology, 5th March 2024
The aim of the second project meeting was to present WP1 report and to start working on WP2. The scientific partners (UL, UZ and PHSI) presented the review of scientific literature, focusing on the newest theoretical and applied-oriented references. The consortium studied a vast number of references, resulting in an extensive WP1 report. The second part of the meeting was dedicated to formulation of questions for the interviews for coaches. The aim of WP2 is to develop a semi-structured interview for coaches to describe coaches’ understanding and perception of eating disorders. The meeting was very successful as it resulted in a comprehensive and well-structured interview scheme. The plan for conducting the interviews has been defined.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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