Abstract
Abstract:
Background: Preoccupation around eating and disordered eating of professional athletes has
extensively been discussed in the literature. However, the extent of disordered eating behaviours
at the non-professional or amateur club level in South African sport has not received the same
amount of attention.
Objectives: This study attempted to determine the extent of disordered eating behaviours among
amateur athletes to identify the athletes at risk of developing an eating disorder. Group
differences and predictive factors were explored to determine factors associated with disordered
eating behaviours among amateur sporting athletes.
Methods: A purposive sample of athletes (n = 278) with a mean age of 27 ± 11.30 years, from various
sports clubs in Central Gauteng (in and around Johannesburg), were asked to complete the Eating
Attitudes Test-26 and Sport Competition Anxiety Test. Data analysis included descriptive
statistics, independent samples t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic
regression.