ABSTRACT
There is a considerable body of research on the relationship between sports participation and eating problems in girls and women (for reviews see Beals and Manore 1994; Brownell 1995; Brownell and Rodin 1992; Slavin 1987; Smolack et al. 2000; Sundgot-Borgen 1994b). The data appear inconsistent, varying by sport, athletic performance level and methodology of the study. It often seems difficult to draw any conclusions. However, there are some negative relationship between athletics and eating problems such that special terms, including anorexia athletica (AA) and the female athlete triad, have been developed to capture the special risk of disordered eating and associated problems among athletes (Otis et al. 1997; Sundgot-Borgen 1994b).
