title: Investigating eating disorders in elite gymnasts: conceptual, ethical and methodological issues.
abstract: Elite gymnastics, and other sports where athletes and coaches are particularly concerned with aesthetic considerations, weight and shape, are fields within which the risk of eating disorders may be unusually high. Adolescent gymnasts, developing their own sense of self, at a time of life where body image concerns are common, often compete at the very top of the sport with a need to maintain a body shape and weight optimal for elite performance. Research into this field should address the range of sociological and ethical aspects of eating disorders in elite sport, their prevalence as well as the ethos of the sport itself. This paper addresses a range of conceptual, ethical and methodological issues relevant to conducting research in this sensitive yet important field.
authors.affiliation: a College of Human and Health Sciences , Swansea University , Swansea , UK.
authors.forename: Jacinta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bloodworth
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McNamee
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hewitt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000941:ethics; D004954:Esthetics; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors