Incidence of Eating Disorders in Female Basketball Players Aged 10 to 18 Years in Grenada: A Exploratory Pilot Study

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Abstract

Eating disorders (ED) represent significant psychiatric conditions that can adversely affect the physical and psychological well-being and performance of female athletes. Back-ground/Objectives: The aim of this pilot and exploratory study was to assess the presence of ED among female basketball players aged 10 to 18 years from a club in Grenada, Spain. Methods: A total of thirty-six voluntary female players (mean age 13.3 ± 2.2 years; mean height 163.3 ± 10.3 cm; mean weight 55.6 ± 15.1 kg) participated in the study. Participants were evaluated using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire - Spanish Version (S-EDE-Q), alongside assessments of body composition, socio-demographic factors, and sports history. Qualitative variables were analyzed using frequency distributions, while quantitative variables were summarized with means and standard deviations. Linear regression models were employed to investigate the re-lationships between various factors and the overall S-EDE-Q scores. Results: Mean scores on the S-EDE-Q questionnaire were generally low. 8.4% of participants showed a risk for ED; 2.8% ex-ceeded thresholds for dietary re-straint and eating preoccupation; 5.6% exceeded thresholds for shape and weight preoccupation. The findings indicated a low presence of ED, with only 8.4% of participants identified as being at risk. Higher S-EDE-Q scores were correlated with lower levels of parental education, increased age, and playing the pivot position. No significant associations were observed between sports experience or weekly training hours and the risk of ED. Conclu-sions: The low presence of ED may be attributed to the nature of basketball, which does not pri-oritize a slim physique or specific weight requirements, potentially fostering healthier dietary practices. Variations in ED presence based on competitive levels suggest that competitive pres-sures may play a role in the emergence of these disorders. This study underscores the im-portance of implementing prevention and monitoring strategies within the sports context to reduce the risk of ED among young athletes.

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