Eating Disorders and Athletes Essay by Top Papers

Piran, Levine and Adair (1998) state that there is a specific body image that women are expected to maintain or be ostracized from the social order (p. 1-25). To attempt to achieve this perfect body image many female athletes will elect to control their intake of food excessively, leading to eating disorders (Levitt, Sansone & Cohn, 2004, p. 211). Levitt, Sansone and Cohn (2004) state that knowledge about eating disorders has existed since the 1600s, although not taken seriously until after 1874 (p. 211). Despite this knowledge, however, the impact of eating disorders on athletes did not come to the fore of public concern until the death of Christy Henrich (Rhea, Jambor & Wiginton, 1996, p. 66). Christy Henrich was a female athlete who was in the Olympic trials and was told that she did not make the team because she was too heavy at 97 pounds. By 1994 Henrich weighed 47 pounds and her frail body finally gave out, with the autopsy indicating that she suffered from both anorexia and bulimia. Levitt, Sansone and Cohn (2004) indicate that while eating disorders impact both males and females there is by far a greater number of female athletes that suffer from eating disorders because of the added pressure within society for females in general to conform to social expectations related to body image (p. 211). The research, therefore, will focus on eating disorders and female athletes, the issue and potential resolutions to the issue for the individual.