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Eating behavior of ballet dancers
A Dotti1, M Fioravanti, M Balotta
1Department of Psychiatry Science and Psychological Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD
|April 5, 2002
Summary
Ballet dancers often have insufficient calorie intake, raising concerns about dieting, food control, and body image. These issues intensify with age and prolonged dance training, but don't always indicate psychological distress.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Nutritional Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Ballet dancers face heightened risks for eating disorders (ED).
- Understanding eating habits and ED prevalence in dance students is crucial.
- Previous studies often use single assessment methods for ED epidemiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate eating habits and ED prevalence among female ballet students in Rome.
- To assess the relationship between nutritional intake, psychological factors, and age in dancers.
- To evaluate concerns related to dieting, food intake, and body image.
Main Methods:
- 160 female dance students underwent anthropometrical-nutritional and psychometric evaluations.
- 83 students completed the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview.
- Standardized questionnaires including EAT, EDI, and BUT were utilized.
Main Results:
- All age groups exhibited insufficient calorie intake relative to daily physical demands.
- Questionnaires indicated significant concerns regarding dieting, food intake control, and body image.
- Correlations between calorie intake and specific questionnaire scores (EAT Dieting, EDI Perfectionism, Interceptive Awareness) strengthened with age.
Conclusions:
- Reduced calorie intake in ballet dancers is common and not always indicative of psychopathology.
- Concerns about food, weight, and body image escalate with age and duration in ballet.
- Integrated assessment methods provide a comprehensive view of ED risk factors in this population.