Prevalence of Risky Eating Behaviors in National Team Taekwondo Athletes from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70983/jp73mz17Keywords:
Eating Disorders, Athletes, Taekwondo, Health Risk BehaviorsAbstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of risky eating behaviors (REB) and possible eating disorders (ED) in national selected taekwondo athletes from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean Material and methods: A cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted on 72 athletes (38 women, 34 men; mean age 22.7 years) from 11 national teams during a qualifying championship. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) questionnaire was administered, and questions about compensatory behaviors were asked. Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were assessed during habitual and competition periods. An EAT-26 score ≥20, any reported REB, or a BMI <18.0 kg/m² during competition was considered as a "Possible ED". Wilcoxon, McNemar-Bowker, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis (p<0.05). Results: A reduction in BMI was observed during the competition period (21.2 vs. 20.3 kg/m²; p<0.0001). The prevalence of a possible ED was 91.7% (95% CI: 82.7–96.9), with self-induced vomiting (76.4%) and binge eating (63.9%) the main risk behaviors. On the contrary, the EAT-26 scores showed that only 18.1% reached the risk threshold (≥20). More men (64.7%) than women (26.3%) reported a history of treatment for an ED (p=0.0018). Conclusions: There is a high and normalized prevalence of REB in nationally selected taekwondo athletes from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The discrepancy between behaviors and cognitive attitudes suggests that REB are seen as effective tools for weight control, underestimating their risk to physical and mental health.
References
Astuti, G. P., Fitri, M., & Williyanto, S. (2023). Emotional Intelligence and Eating Disorders: Comparison by Gender in Taekwondo Athletes. Jp. jok (Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani Olahraga dan Kesehatan), 7(1), 94–105.
Barić, R., & Erdeljac, T. (2024). Eating Disorders in Taekwondo Athletes: The Contribution of Coach Behavior, Body Satisfaction, and Goal Orientation. Sports, 12(12), 315.
Barley, O. R., Chapman, D. W., & Abbiss, C. R. (2018). Weight loss strategies in combat sports and concerning habits in mixed martial arts. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 13(7), 933–939.
Barley, O. R., Chapman, D. W., & Abbiss, C. R. (2019). The current state of weight-cutting in combat sports. Sports, 7(5), 123.
Bratland-Sanda, S., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2013). Eating disorders in athletes: Overview of prevalence, risk factors and recommendations for prevention and treatment. European journal of sport science, 13(5), 499–508.
Chapman, J., & Woodman, T. (2016). Disordered eating in male athletes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(2), 101–109.
Coffino, J. A., Udo, T., & Grilo, C. M. (2019). Rates of help-seeking in US adults with lifetime DSM-5 eating disorders: Prevalence across diagnoses and differences by sex and ethnicity/race. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 94(8), 1415–1426.
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5TM, 5th ed (pp. xliv, 947). (2013). American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Doherty, C. S., Fortington, L. V., & Barley, O. R. (2024). Prevalence of disordered eating and its relationship with rapid weight loss amongst male and female combat sport competitors: A prospective study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 27(11), 745–752.
Franchini, E., Brito, C. J., & Artioli, G. G. (2012). Weight loss in combat sports: Physiological, psychological and performance effects. Journal of the international society of sports nutrition, 9(1), 52.
Ghazzawi, H. A., Nimer, L. S., Haddad, A. J., Alhaj, O. A., Amawi, A. T., Pandi-Perumal, S. R., Trabelsi, K., Seeman, M. V., & Jahrami, H. (2024). A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of the prevalence of self-reported disordered eating and associated factors among athletes worldwide. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12(1), 24.
Grande, A. G., Torras, B. Z., & García, A. R. S. (2003). Trastornos del comportamento alimentario: Prevalencia de casos clínicos en mujeres adolescentes de la Comunidad de Madrid. Instituto de Salud Pública.
Karrer, Y., Halioua, R., Mötteli, S., Iff, S., Seifritz, E., Jäger, M., & Claussen, M. C. (2020). Disordered eating and eating disorders in male elite athletes: A scoping review. BMJ open sport & exercise medicine, 6(1).
Lakicevic, N., Mani, D., Paoli, A., Roklicer, R., Bianco, A., & Drid, P. (2021). Weight cycling in combat sports: Revisiting 25 years of scientific evidence. BMC sports science, medicine and rehabilitation, 13(1), 154.
Lebron, M. A., Stout, J. R., & Fukuda, D. H. (2024). Physiological perturbations in combat sports: Weight cycling and metabolic function—A narrative review. Metabolites, 14(2), 83.
Mitchison, D., & Mond, J. (2015). Epidemiology of eating disorders, eating disordered behaviour, and body image disturbance in males: A narrative review. Journal of eating disorders, 3(1), 20.
Schaal, K., Tafflet, M., Nassif, H., Thibault, V., Pichard, C., Alcotte, M., Guillet, T., El Helou, N., Berthelot, G., Simon, S., & others. (2011). Psychological balance in high level athletes: Gender-based differences and sport-specific patterns. PloS one, 6(5), e19007.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Autor
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
