274287 Team-driven prevention of disordered eating: A qualitative comparison of two female collegiate cross country teams

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Emily Kroshus, MPH , Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Background: Research on risk and protective factors for disordered eating among female athletes has not yet incorporated a focus on ways in which team members, within their athletic environmental context, collectively address behaviors that appear to be disordered on their team.

Methods: Qualitative methods were used. Semi-structured in-depth individual interviews were conducted with all members of two NCAA Division 1 women's cross country teams (n=36). All transcripts were coded using line-by-line grounded theory and reviewed by an independent second coder.

Results: There was consistent divergence between teams with respect to how disordered eating behaviors were addressed. Nearly every member of team 1 and nearly no members of team 2 expressed confidence that the team would in fact address the disordered behavior in some capacity. The major contextual factor to which this divergence appears to be attributable is the coaching staff. Specifically, gender, relatability and directness of the coaching staff in addressing issues of eating and weight were key themes identified by participants. The influence of coaches included whether team members are likely to use them as a resource in addressing potentially disordered behaviors among teammates.

Discussion: The results of this study suggest that beyond sport and level of competition-specific risk factors, the team itself, within the context of its' athletic environment, can influence how disordered eating is addressed and prevented. Understanding more about factors that contribute to between team variance may help in the design of interventions to reduce the burden of disordered eating in this vulnerable population.

Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the different approaches taken by two NCAA Division 1 women's cross country teams in addressing and preventing disordered eating among team members. Identify team-specific and contextual factors may contribute to this between team divergence.

Keywords: College Students, Exercise

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student conducting research on prevention of disordered eating under the supervision of Dr. Bryn Austin at Harvard's School of Public Health. My dissertation research focuses on prevention of disordered eating on female sports teams and aims to understand team-specific risk and preventive factors. I am also interested in the use of qualitative methods for building theory and have previously conducted qualitative research with male and female athletes concerning team-based health promotion.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.