Eating and weight controlling behaviours of young ballet dancers

Ballet dancers (n = 60) in full-time ballet training and school students (n = 216) completed questionnaires relating to body weight and eating behaviour. Dancers were at lower body weight and had less body fat. Dancers considered they were more preoccupied with thoughts of eating and body weight, felt they had greater difficulty controlling their body weight, used and abused laxatives for weight control, and reported disordered eating more than school students. Two-thirds of dancers and students were currently using at least one method of weight control, dancers favouring not eating between meals, and students exercise. Both groups reported binge eating and using multiple methods to control this behaviour. The pressure for dancers to be at below average weight affects their eating and weight controlling behaviours and their life-style. Young women such as dancers, gymnasts and some athletes are required to be at low body weight. These women maintain high levels of exercise. Whether ballet dancers are self-selected as they are genetically slim, control their body weight with the higher levels of exercise or need to employ strategies to maintain their low body weight, has not been clarified. A significant proportion of ballet dancers have been reported to have symptoms of anorexia nervosa and to be described as 'weight preoccupied'. It has also been suggested that the incidence of disordered eating is greater in women who are under pressure to maintain low body weight. The aim of this study is to compare the eating and weight losing behaviour, attitudes and anthropomorphic characteristics of young women in full-time ballet training and those who are not.