Disordered Eating Risk in Competitive Athletes and Its Associations with Functional Versus Aesthetic Body Image in a Cross-Sectional Study Across Sports Disciplines

Background/Objectives: Disordered-eating risk among athletes may be associated with demographic and sport-related characteristics as well as with how athletes evaluate the appearance and functionality of their bodies. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of disordered eating risk and investigated the associations of functional and aesthetic body-image dimensions with eating attitudes in competitive athletes. Methods: The sample comprised 739 competitive athletes representing 20 sports or track-and-field event groups. Participants completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26 and the Embodied Image Scale. Differences according to sport and training characteristics were examined using multivariate analyses, while hierarchical linear and logistic regression models assessed associations between body-image dimensions and continuous EAT-26 scores and positive screening status. Results: Overall, 17.6% of athletes were identified as being at risk of disordered eating (95% CI [15.0%, 20.5%]). Positive screening was more frequent among women and younger athletes but did not differ across sports disciplines or training characteristics. Sport discipline differentiated primarily functional investment and functional satisfaction, with the observed effects concentrated largely in the basketball subgroup. The final linear regression model explained 8.6% of the variance in EAT-26 scores, with body-image dimensions contributing an additional 6.4% beyond age and sex. Greater aesthetic value and investment were associated with higher EAT-26 scores, whereas greater aesthetic satisfaction was associated with lower scores. A similar pattern was observed for positive screening status; functional investment was additionally inversely associated with screening risk. Conclusions: Disordered-eating risk was present across diverse sports rather than concentrated within particular disciplines. Aesthetic body-image dimensions were more consistently associated with eating attitudes than functional dimensions, supporting the relevance of multidimensional body-image assessment in athlete screening and prevention.