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Abstract

Introduction: Research has shown that eating disorders tend to be most seen in females and athletes. The research on the prevalence of eating disorders in males is low compared to the research on females. This study examined male athletes at Abilene Christian University and determine if the pressure about weight from coaches and teammates could influence the eating habits of these athletes. The purpose of this study is to determine if pressure about weight from coaches or teammates affected eating habits of male collegiate athletes at a NCAA Division 1 institution. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Participants included NCAA division I male student-athletes. The survey was sent out electronically to the participants via school email. The survey includes informed consent, demographic information (age, school classification, and ethnicity), and the questions from the Weight Pressures in Sports Scale in Male Athletes survey. A higher score for a question indicated that there are more weight-related pressures for that topic. This scale had instructions for how to calculate the total score for the different subscales. There was a total score, the coach/teammates subscale, and the appearance subscale. Results: The score for the coach/teammate pressures subscale was 4.09 out of 6, the score for the appearance pressure subscale was 2.55 out of 6, and the total score with all the questions was a 3.32 out of 6. It was found that over half of the total score came from the coach/teammate pressure on the players. It was also shown that there was a higher score from the coach/teammate pressures compared to the appearance pressures. In each of the subscales, the coach /teammate subscale (α =0.87) and the appearance subscale (α = 0.84) included seven questions, so the total scale was made up of all 14 questions (α = 0.90). Each question was scored on a six-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 (Never) to 6 (Always). The total score was determined by adding up the scores for each question and then averaging that number by dividing it by 14. Each subscale was totaled and divided by seven. The dependent variables were the coach/teammate subscale and the appearance subscale. Translation to Practice: The results indicate that the pressure from coaches can have an influence on their athletes' eating habits. While this can be an awkward topic, it is an important topic, especially for athletic trainers to keep in mind when working with athletes. When working with athletes on the daily, athletic trainers should make sure to check in with athletes who could possibly be struggling with disordered eating. Knowing the signs and symptoms of disordered eating can lead to earlier interventions for student-athletes.

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