Eating disorder symptoms in former female college gymnasts: relations with body composition

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to describe eating disorder symptoms in 36.6 +/- 3.8-y-old former college gymnasts as well as relations between body dissatisfaction and body composition. Former college gymnasts (n = 22) and age-(mean +/- SE difference: 0.05 +/- 0.26 y), height-(0.47 +/- 0.75 cm), and weight-matched (2.20 +/- 0.30 kg) control subjects (n = 22) participated. Current and past symptoms were assessed by using the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and visual analog scales. EDI-2 body-dissatisfaction scores were correlated with assessments of body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Weight preoccupation was stable across the life span for control subjects but was lower before former gymnasts had begun gymnastics training and higher for former gymnasts when they were participating in college gymnastics (P = 0.03). Current levels of body dissatisfaction were more strongly related to actual minus ideal body-weight discrepancy scores (r = 0.77) than to percentage fat (r = 0.50) for the former gymnasts whereas the opposite was true for the control subjects (r = 0.51 and 0.77, respectively). These results suggest that symptoms of eating disorders abate after retirement from gymnastics and that concerns about achieving an ideal body may be a more important determinant of body dissatisfaction than percentage body fat for gymnasts.