Table 3.
Comparison of Prevalence Rates (Proportions, %) of Pathogenic Behaviors Among Cheerleaders and Other Female Athletes
| Current Study |
Torres-McGehee et al, 201120 |
Torres-McGehee et al, 20097 |
Greenleaf et al, 20092 |
Carter and Rudd, 200512 |
Johnson et al, 19993 |
Black and Burckes-Miller, 198823 |
|
| Sample size | 136 | 138 | 101 | 204 | 2001: 353 | 562 | 382 |
| 2002: 355 | |||||||
| Athletes | Cheerleaders | Equestrian | Auxiliary Units | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Pathogenic behavior | |||||||
| Binge eating | 11.8 | 24.6 | 14.9 | 15.2 | 7.1–6.2 | 16.2 | NA |
| Vomiting | 9.6 | 11.6 | 9.9 | 2.9 | 1.7–2.8 | 6.4 | 7.3 |
| Laxatives | 19.9a | 15.2a | 18.9a | 0.98 | 4.6–2.3 | 1.78 | 4.5 |
| Diet pills, dieting | NA | NA | NA | 15.7 | NA | 1.42 | 15.3 |
| Diuretics | NA | NA | NA | 1.5 | NA | 0.53 | 4.2 |
| Exercise | 1.5 | NA | NA | 25.5 | NA | NA | 53.1 |
| Thoughts of suicideb | NA | 3.6 | 0.0 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Lost 20 lb or more | 2.2 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Abbreviation: NA indicates no reported measures for these variables.
a
Included laxatives, diet pills, and diuretics in 1 question.
b
The previous version of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 included the question “Have you ever thought of or attempted suicide”? The question is not included in the current version, which we used in our study.