Disordered Eating and Mental Health Across Lean and Non-Lean Sports: A Cross-Sectional Study of UK University Sports Club Members

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly turning to preventative measures to improve student mental health outcomes. However, previous research has identified sports participation (especially lean sports) as a risk factor for eating disorders. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional observational study was to investigate the association between sports club membership, disordered eating cognitions and vulnerability to mental health problems in a population of university students at UK HEIs. Participants were UK students (77% female, average age = 21.66) who reported being a member of a university sports club (n=295) or not (n=242). Sports club members were further divided into lean (n=103) v non-lean sports (n=185). Participants completed an online survey including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Figure Rating Scale (FRS) and Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2). In sports club members, EAT-26 and the emotional problems subscale of the SDQ were significantly lower than non-sports club members. Sports club members also had significantly lower body dissatisfaction and higher body appreciation than non-sports club members. The lean-sports group had the lowest EAT-26 scores and the lowest levels of body dissatisfaction and highest levels of body appreciation. Overall, the results indicate that university sports club membership is associated with better mental health outcomes. Contrary to previous studies, lean sports participation was associated with the lowest levels of eating disorder attitudes.