A comparison of weight and diet concerns and personality factors among female athletes and non-athletes.

Two groups of female athletes, one in sports that provide an advantage to those with a thin body build (TB) and one in sports that demand a normal build (NB), completed a comprehensive inventory that examined eating disorder indicators, weight and diet concerns, and personality factors. They were compared with a group (CG) of similarly-aged university student females who were not engaged in sport beyond the recreational level. The data showed that the TB group, even though they were thin, had greater weight and diet concerns, and were emotionally more labile and dissatisfied than the NB group. The paper also briefly discusses the notions of psychosocial and activity models of eating problems.