Risk factors of eating disorders in female swimmers

The aim of this work was to state the relationship between variable characteristics of sports groups such as anxiety, perfectionism, competitive anxiety, and exercise dependence, and risk factors in eating behavior disorders: Compulsive eating behavior, concern about body weight and food, and chronic and restrictive diet. It was an intentional, nonprobabilistic sample, comprised by 160 females, Subdivided into two groups: 80 high-level swimmers and 80 non-sports women, with an age range between 9 and 16 years old, X=12.4 and S=2.2. A scale was used to measure all these characteristics and also to explore those risk factors associated with eating disorders. The scales were applied to those subjects in schools and sports institutions who accepted to participate. High anxiety, high competitive anxiety, and high exercise dependence were significantly related to risk factors in eating disorders.