Key result
Athletic trainers reported playing a crucial role in supporting college athletes with eating disorders, but identified significant barriers to care including lack of education, coaching staff attitudes, and unclear referral processes.
Why the study?
College athletes face pressures to remain fit and are at risk of developing disordered eating, highlighting the importance of the role of athletic trainers in helping them manage eating disorders.
Athletic trainers play a crucial role in identifying and supporting college athletes with eating disorders, but face barriers such as coaching staff attitudes, lack of clear referral processes, and a need for further education.
May enhance eating disorder support in college athletes; leaves open effectiveness of education and referral interventions.
One subset of the college population that is at-risk of developing an eating disorder or signs of disordered eating are college athletes. College athletes face both internal and external pressures to remain fit. Of particular importance for this study is the role of the athletic trainer (ATs) in helping college athletes with a diagnosed eating disorder or patterns of disordered eating. This study followed a logical, systematic, and multiphase phenomenological approach to capturing reflections of athletic trainers’ (n = 7) subjective experiences related to managing student-athletes who have a diagnosed eating disorder. Using an open-ended interview guide, athletic trainers participated in an intensive interview with one of the researchers. Researchers categorized statements into one of three themes: (1) AT and college athlete relationship, (2) barriers to care, and (3) opportunities for improvement. These results provide insight concerning the intersection of ATs and their role in addressing eating disorders with college athletes. ATs play an important role in providing both support to aid physical recovery from ailments and injuries and also serve as a source of psychosocial referral and support.
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Moore et al. (2022) studied Eating disorders and disordered eating in college athletes (n=10). Athletic trainers reported playing a crucial role in supporting college athletes with eating disorders, but identified significant barriers to care including lack of education, coaching staff attitudes, and unclear referral processes.
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