Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in ballet students: examination of environmental and individual risk factors. 2005

Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8205, USA. Jennifer.Thomas@Yale.edu

OBJECTIVE The current study compared the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among adolescent ballet dancers at national, regional, and local schools. METHODS Female ballet students (N = 239; mean age = 15.0 +/- 1.5 years) from five geographically disparate summer programs completed the Eating Dis-order Inventory (EDI) and answered questions regarding eating disorder symptoms. RESULTS Students from both national and local schools reported significantly higher EDI total, Drive for Thinness, and Perfectionism scores compared with regional students. In contrast, national students reported significantly greater dieting scores and lifetime histories of self-induced vomiting compared with regional and local students. CONCLUSIONS Eating pathology among adolescent ballet dancers may be a function of both genetic and environmental risk. Dancers who exhibit high levels of perfectionism and, perhaps consequently, place themselves in highly competitive environments, may exhibit a significantly increased risk for disordered eating in comparison to dancers who are less perfectionistic and/or place themselves in less competitive environments.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D003615 Dancing Rhythmic and patterned body movements which are usually performed to music. Ballet,Dance,Hip-Hop Dance,Jazz Dance,Line Dancing,Modern Dance,Salsa Dancing,Square Dance,Tap Dance,Dance, Hip-Hop,Dance, Jazz,Dance, Modern,Dance, Square,Dance, Tap,Dancing, Line,Dancing, Salsa,Hip Hop Dance
D004777 Environment The external elements and conditions which surround, influence, and affect the life and development of an organism or population. Environmental Impact,Environmental Impacts,Impact, Environmental,Impacts, Environmental,Environments
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D001068 Feeding and Eating Disorders A group of disorders characterized by physiological and psychological disturbances in appetite or food intake. Appetite Disorders,Eating Disorders,Eating and Feeding Disorders,Feeding Disorders,Appetite Disorder,Disorder, Eating,Disorder, Feeding,Disorders, Eating,Disorders, Feeding,Eating Disorder,Feeding Disorder
D001294 Attitude to Health Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system. Health Attitude,Attitude, Health,Attitudes, Health,Health Attitudes,Health, Attitude to
D012307 Risk Factors An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent. Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D013334 Students Individuals enrolled in a school or formal educational program. School Enrollment,Enrollment, School,Enrollments, School,School Enrollments,Student
D014481 United States A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.

Related Publications

Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
January 2009, European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
June 2020, Journal of clinical medicine,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
June 2020, Eating and weight disorders : EWD,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
January 2020, Nursing education perspectives,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
July 2023, Journal of American college health : J of ACH,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
February 2008, Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.),
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
November 2020, Nutrients,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
June 2021, Nutrition and health,
Jennifer J Thomas, and Pamela K Keel, and Todd F Heatherton
September 2006, Eating and weight disorders : EWD,
Copied contents to your clipboard!