The prevalence of eating disorders within Division I and Division III intercollegiate athletics

This study examined the prevalence of eating disorders within Division I and Division III intercollegiate athletic programs. A secondary purpose was to examine gender and sport differences. The participants, 191 head coaches from 31 purposefully selected colleges and/or universities, completed a respondent information sheet and questionnaire which were created specifically for the purposes of this study.A chi-square analysis indicated no difference in the prevalence of eating disorders between Division I and Division III athletes. The results also indicated that the female athletes had a higher proportion of eating disorders than the male athletes. Women's gymnastics and cross country and men's wrestling and cross country had higher proportions of eating disorders than the other sports examined.