RJA #9c

Presentation Plan

I. Introduction

A. Define eating disorder

1. Reasons why athletes are at a higher risk

B. Summarize key factors

C. Thesis: Athletes who actively participate in a competitive sport have an increased chance of suffering from an eating disorder because of the compiled stress placed on their lives from sport practices, demands, and the pressure to win.

II. Demands Placed on an Athlete

A. Practices

B. Competitions

C. Pressure/desire to be the best and win

D. Perfectionism

E. How all tie together to apply a lot of stress-can lead to eating disorder in attempts for control

III. Image/Weight based sports-higher risks for eating disorder

A. Wrestling

B. Running

C. Gymnastics

D. Figure Skating

E. Dancing

IV. Personality traits common with those eating disorders

A. Perfectionism

B. Obsessive

C. Desire to Please

D. Extreme Discipline

1. Connection to traits shared by some athletes and eating disorders-increased risk

V. Counterarguments

A. Refutations

VI. Summary/Conclusion

*Have Quotes and Images/Stories etc. for each main heading that will be a part of presentation! This is the general outline.

RJA #9b

Argument

Research Question:

Do athletes who actively participate in competitive sports have a higher risk of suffering from an eating disorder?

Claim/Thesis:

Athletes who actively participate in a competitive sport have an increased chance of suffering from an eating disorder because of the compiled stress placed on their lives from sport practices, demands, and the pressure to win.

Reasons:

1. The demands of practices and training on top of other life responsibilities can be stressful.

Evidence: "The struggle to manage practices, competitions, and...(other) demands can be overwhelming; some athletes turn to unhealthy tactics to regain...control." -Pomodoro: www.bu.edu/today/2009/12/16/athletes-and-eating-disorders

2. The personality traits that make for an excellent athlete; the need to please, perfectionism, self-discipline, etc., can be mental traits connected to eating disorders.

3. Weight and image standards in sports, such as, gymnastics, dancing, wrestling, and figure skating, can apply pressures to maintain or achieve a weight unhealthy for the athlete, thus, leading to drastic measures involving an eating disorder.

4. Competitive athletes in general are younger and more impressionable. Eating disorders are highest among teenagers in ages from 14-18. The correlation between young competitive athletes and the highest age bracket for eating disorders show the vulnerability of these athletes at that time. The pressures placed on them from coaches, family, and society may be enough to bring them to this.

Objections

1. Eating disorders are most often linked with psychological problems, so the athlete struggling would have had the eating disorder regardless of their participation in the sport or not.
2. Within American society, females, in general, statistically have higher rates of struggling with eating disorders than men, so you can not blame the sports for the female athlete's disorder.
3. Many athletes within these competitive sports do not have eating disorders, so is the cause really the sport.

RJA #9a

Thesis

Research Question:

Do athletes who actively participate in competitive sports have a higher risk of suffering from an eating disorder?

Precise Claim:

Athletes who are involved in competitive sports, such as, wrestling, gymnastics, figure skating, etc., are at a higher risk for an eating disorder.

Reasons/Blueprint:

• Competitive sports apply added stress into the athlete's daily lives (more than an average non-athlete) through the pressures to win.
• Characteristics that make for a good athlete can also be personality traits of an eating disorder.

Complete Thesis Statement:

Athletes who actively participate in a competitive sport have an increased chance of suffering from an eating disorder because of the compiled stress placed on their lives from sport practices, demands, and the pressure to win.

RJA #8b

Evaluations:

Michael Hughes

http://mgheng2010.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja-7a-evaluation-of-sources.html

Alishia

http://astults.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja-7a-evaluation-of-sources.html

RJA #8a

Passage:

Proctor’s shocking story is not uncommon. An estimated one-third of female college athletes suffer from clinical eating disorders, says Paula Quatromoni, a Sargent College assistant professor of nutrition. The problem occurs less frequently among male athletes, but remains a scourge.“The demands of athletic training and peak performances, particularly in Division I collegiate sports, place athletes at an increased risk,” Quatromoni says. “The characteristics that make them exceptional athletes — a desire for perfection, an instinctual need to please — go hand-in-hand with eating disorders.”Anorexia and bulimia are illnesses that often coexist with emotional problems such as anxiety and depression, says sports psychologist Joanne Pomodoro (SSW’99). The struggle to manage practices, competitions, and academic demands can be overwhelming; some athletes turn to unhealthy tactics to regain a semblance of control. “Eating disorders are maladaptive coping mechanisms,” she explains. “Counting calories, restricting food intake, and monitoring the numbers on the scale are very tangible things.”

LINK: http://www.bu.edu/today/2009/12/16/athletes-and-eating-disorders

Quotation:

Eating disorders, such as, anorexia nervosa and bulimia are not unheard of in the United States. Often linked with emotional struggles, eating disorders are a rising concern among competitive athletes nation-wide. The athlete, a commonly idealized figure of strength, discipline, and endurance, can have a darker side in which they struggle to maintain the image of perfection we apply. Whether it be from coach, family, or society, the factors that play into making a great athlete can also lead to dangerous methods in weight loss. According to Quatromoni, an assistant professor of nutrition, "an estimated one-third of female college athletes...(struggle with) eating disorders,...'(and their) desire for perfection, an institutional need to please - go hand-in-hand with eating disorders.'" The heightened pressures placed on the athlete between the need to win and many other life factors develop into a high-risk atmosphere for the psychological desires to control weight and perfection through unhealthy means of disordered eating.

Paraphrase:

The story of Proctor is not unheard of. According to Paula Quatromoni, an assistant professor in nutrition at Sargent College, about a third of college female athletes struggle with an eating disorder. While less common in male athletes, it is still a problem. Highly competitive sports, especially with Division I schools, have many demands on their athletes placing an increased risk for these disorders. Quatromoni insists that the athlete's drive for perfection, one of the attributes making for an excellent competitor, tie in with the psychology of eating disorders. Sports psychologist, Joanne Pomodoro, says common disorders, such as, anorexia and bulimia are often linked with psychological disorders, such as, depression and anxiety. The battle in managing the many aspects of the athlete's life can be a lot to handle, leaving many in attempts to regain control through unhealthy means. These disorders are tactics for handling stress, and strategies, such as, counting calories and/or restricting, are physical ways to get some control.

Summary:

Eating disorders are not uncommon in athletes. Especially in highly competitive schools, the pressures placed on athletes between practices, training, school, and other life demands are a lot to handle. This easily places them at a higher risk for falling prey to eating disorders, such as, anorexia and bulimia. While these disorders often go hand-in-hand with psychological problems of depression or anxiety, the desire to win and be the best can be very overwhelming. In turn, some athletes may turn to eating disorders to regain a sense of control.

Internet Research Project

http://zakta.com/zakta/view_1_1130_3049_Eating_disorders_and_Sports

RJA #7b

Field Research Suggestion

• Kelly Williams: http://kwill12.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja-6c-field-research-options.html

• Ryan Smith: http://ryansmith77.blogspot.com/2010/03/rja6c-field-research-options.html

RJA #7a

Evaluation of Sources

Book

Title: Nutrition and the Female Athlete
Author: Ruud, Jaime S.
Publisher: CRC Press, Inc.
Place of Publication: Boca Raton
Copyright: 1996

Upon evaluating, Nutrition and the Female Athlete, I believe the book to be a credible, useful source. The author states within the preface that she has written for a broad audience ranging from the athletes themselves, to coaches, to medical professionals, such as, dietitians and physicians. I find that I too am in the intended audience because I am reading in search of nutritional information, both good and bad, concerning the athlete. While I feel the reading is understandable and to the point, I do not feel it is overly simply. Her writing is very objective and factual in how the information is presented. I was happy to find that at the start of each chapter Ruud has provided a brief outline of the contents making for a clear read. The information is accessible as well as backed up by statistical information. I also believe in the author's validity given her credentials as M.S. and R.D. Each chapter is followed by an extensive list of references showing the research was done. My only possible dilemma is that the book is slightly out-dated being published in 1996. I will definitely cross reference data and information to be sure it still holds true. Overall, I think this book will provide some very good, factual information for my research.

Reference Article

Title: Eating Disorders
Author: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia
Title of Reference Work: Infoplease
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Copyright: 2007

This reference article seems to be for a very broad audience. It comes from an encyclopedia, thus seems to be credible in the information it provides. The site is luckily not like Wikipedia where anyone can post. While the article seems to be for anyone and everyone, the style and level of information is pretty limited. There is about two paragraphs written giving the overall run-down of an eating disorder. The article does not at all reference eating disorders in relation to sports. However, I do believe the content to be factual and not opinionated. This article is good for giving me a general picture of eating disorders, the definition, signs, etc., but probably not too useful in thorough research.

Periodical Article

Author: American Academy of Family Physicians
Title: Sports and Women Athletes: The Female Athlete Triad
Title of Periodical: American Family Physician
Volume and Issue: V. 69, Issue 7
Date: 4/1/2004
Pg. 1729

This article comes from the American Academy of Family Physicians, so I trust the credibility. Again the audience seems to be relatively broad, however, here it seems mostly directed to female athletes or friends/family of those who may be affected. Given the medical nature of the journal, the article seems helped based and, thus, may be a bit biased. I do believe the information to be factual and reliable. Again this article seems to only skim the surface of all the information out there. It is pretty general and not very in-depth. They give the basic run-down of signs, symptoms, treatments, etc. I am not confident this article will get me very far in my research. The information is only a few years old, so I do not believe it is out of date. This article provides another good touch on what I am researching, but does not delve as far as I would like.

Website

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/eatingdisorders1/a/aa110600a.htm

Author: Elizabeth Quinn
Title: Eating Disorders in Athletes
Last updated: February 13, 2008

This website seemed to provide some good insight on the link between sports and eating disorders. Immediately, I could see it says it is reviewed by the Medical Review Board. While I do not know the credentials of the author herself, I feel confident in the information provided given it is reviewed by professionals. The site touches on some of the psychological triggers related with competitive sports and the rise of eating disorders which I find very helpful. I think the writing is addressed to everyone looking for information. The site is easy to read and relevant, however, I again feel as though the surface is only being scratched. Nearing the end there are links to related words and articles that may be of use to me. This site is perfect for getting my, "feet wet" on the subject. It provides a clear overview of sports and their relation to eating disorders and will help lead me to more in-depth research.

RJA #6c

Field Research Options

1. Interview w/ Medical Professionals: I would specifically like to interview a Dietitian. I believe they could provide really good insight on how an athlete should be properly eating to keep up with the physical demands of their sport. This would then, in turn, be good to relate to how those athletes with eating disorders are eating. The dietitian I interview will have an RD (registered dietitian) for credentials, and if they specialize in sports nutrition then, even better!
2. Survey: I can use one of the online tools, such as, Polldaddy, Survey Monkey, etc., to create an online survey. I would attempt to poll the number of athletes or past athletes who have or are struggling with an eating disorder.
3. Interview w/ Athletes: I think this interview may be a little harder for me to do. I would like to try and interview a past or current athlete on their thoughts about whether competitive sports have a link to eating disorders. This one may be slightly harder to get because I am not sure where to go to interview an athlete and the subject matter may be a little, "touchy" for some people.

RJA #6b

Social Media and Multimedia

Social Media:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: eating disorders and sports
• Addict-o-matic
• Date: 3/8/2010
• didn't list how many hits
• 0/5 relevance-it did bring up my blog though, which I thought was amusing! :)

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• IceRocket
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 1,182 hits
• 0.5/5 relevance

Multimedia:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• Blinkx
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 54 videos/hits
• 2/5-provided some videos worth watching

RJA #6a

Websites

Search Engines:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: eating disorders and competitive sports
• Ask search engine
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 1,720,000 hits
• 1/5 relevance: seen alot of these sites before

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• BING search engine
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 5,680,000 hits
• 2/5 relevance

Meta Search Engines:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• Academic Index meta search engine
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 10 hits
• 0/5 relevance

Directories:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• Academic Info
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 3 hits
• 0/5 relevance

Invisible Web:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• Complete Planet
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 0 hits
• 0/5 relevance: did NOT like this site-every time I tried opening it, it would freeze up my whole computer.

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• Deep Peep
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 5,680,000 hits
• 1/5 relevance-seen most of these sites already!

Other:

• Resource: Internet
• Keywords: sports and eating disorders
• Soovle
• Date: 3/8/2010
• 3,020,000 hits
• 1/5 relevance-all the same sites; much like Google.