Body Weight Regulation, Disordered Eating Behaviour, and Experiences of Sexual Harassment in Female Martial Art Athletes

NCT04559542 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 20/00378
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 33
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Athletes in martial arts compete in categories separated by body weight, hence, many athletes need to adjust their habitual body weight during periods with competition preparation. Athletes competing in weight sensitive sports are previously identified with an increased risk for symptoms of low energy availability and of disordered eating. The methods used for body weight regulation are varied, and athletes without professional competent support, are prone to rely on harmful methods. And of importance, female athletes respond more negatively to attempts of body weight reduction with regards to health effects. Athletes of martial art are not surrounded by the same professional competence seen in other organized sports within the international sport federations, and specifically health competence is lacking. Additionally, numbers of females competing in martial art have increased the last decade, but they still practice in a sport culture dominated by males; both with reference to the high number of male participants, and with reference to the coaches within this sport. Sports involving practice in intimate, physical interaction with coaches or opposing athletes, and in sports where clothing is minimal, may be a high risk of experiences of sexual harassment. There have been a few reports on harmful methods of body weight regulation within martial arts, however, little knowledge exists on the practice by female martial art athletes, and the related health effects. Information on experiences of sexual harassment have been sparse in sport generally, with very little knowledge from sports like martial arts specifically. This study aims to explore the practice of female martial art athletes on body weight regulation, recovery strategies, their body acceptance and symptoms of eating disorders, and any experiences of sexual harassment. Additionally, with regards to the recent onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this study also explores the related experiences by the athletes on training- and eating routines.

Conditions

Body Weight Changes; Eating Disorder Symptom; Sexual Harassment; Covid19; RED S

Keywords

Mental health; Eating disorders; female athletes; physical health; Body dissatisfaction; Body acceptance; body weight

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Low energy availability for females questionnaire (LEAF-Q)

  Evaluating intensity in symptoms of low energy availability, with one general score, one subscale measuring symptoms of menstrual irregularities, and one subscale measuring symptoms of gastrointestinal dysfunction; the three scales having cut-off scores of ≥8 , ≥4 and ≥2, with higher scorings indicating higher clinical severity.

  Autumn 2020

• Eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-q)

  Measuring symptoms of eating disorders and frequency of eating disordered behavior, resulting in one total score, and four subscales (figure concern, weight concern, eating concern and eating restriction). A total score of ≥2.5 indicates high probability of having an eating disorder. Additionally, the scales measures frequency of disordered eating behavior, for which ≥1 episode per week of binge-eating and/or ≥1 episode per week of purging behavior, over a total period of ≥3 months, qualifies for an diagnosis of eating disorder.

  Autumn 2020

• Body Weight regulation strategies, selfreported

  Reports on methods complied with, to achieve body weight reduction (Predefined answers, including an "other" option)

  Autumn 2020

• Body appreciation scale (BAS-2)

  Evaluates the level of body appreciation and acceptance. Questionnaire contains 10-items with a Likert scale ranging from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always), with a higher average score indicating a higher level of body appreciation.

  Autumn 2020

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Exercise frequency, selfreported according to a designed questionnaire

  Autumn 2020

• Exercise duration, selfreported according to a designed questionnaire

  Autumn 2020

• Exercise motivation, selfreported according to a designed questionnaire

  Autumn 2020

• Exercise program variation, selfreported according to a designed questionnaire

  Autumn 2020

• Physical activity level, objectively measured

  Autumn 2020

Study Arms (1)

Female material art athletes

Females practicing material art during recruitment time, in Oslo-area in Norway

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years - 40 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Female martial art athletes within sports of boxsing, thaiboxing, kickboxsing, judo, jui jitsu, brasilian jui jitsu, submission wrestling, mixed martial arts, taekwondo og karate.

You may qualify if:

• martial art athlete
• living and training in Oslo-area (main capital) in Norway

You may not qualify if:

• not matching sex, age or sport criteria

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Norwegian School of Sport Sciences: lead
• Ostfold University College: collaborator
• University of Oslo: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Norwegian school of sport sciences

Oslo, 0806, Norway

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Body Weight Changes; Sexual Harassment; COVID-19; Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport; Psychological Well-Being; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Body Weight

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Sexual Behavior; Behavior; Social Behavior; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Mental Disorders; Personal Satisfaction; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive

Study Officials

• Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen, PhD

  Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 25, 2020
• First Posted: September 23, 2020
• Study Start: September 10, 2020
• Primary Completion: May 30, 2021
• Study Completion: May 30, 2021
• Last Updated: July 12, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

NO (1)