Eating DisordersNCT06518954
Triggers of Eating Disorders in Athletes
An observational study of Eating Disorders, run by Ostfold University College at 2 sites in Norway.
Trial summary
Over the past 30 years, a high prevalence of eating disorders in sports has been repeatedly documented, yet few preventive measures have been implemented. While most studies explore risk factors through quantitative means, few have investigated how athletes themselves experience the triggering elements in sports and… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Eating Disorders
- What is being tested?
- Interview
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesNorway
- Study dates
- 15 Nov 2024to 25 Feb 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 to 50 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Study population: Athletes are recruited that has a past or current eating disorder, who will also suggest control individuals from the same sports team who have not had an eating disorder and can be invited to the study. These controls will serve as a comparable reference group regarding specific sports/team culture and nuances of personal experiences.
Who may be able to join
- previous/current competitive career in sport
- cohort 1: athlete with an/with a history of an eating disorder
- cohort 2: athlete from the same club without an eating disorder
Who cannot join
- disabled athletes
- not competitive athlete (below Tier 3)
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
Norway2 sites
Østfold University College
Fredrikstad, Fredrikstad, 1671
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Oslo, Oslo, 0806
About this study
Official title: Self-Perceived Causes and Triggers for Eating Disorders in Athletes.
Over the past 30 years, a high prevalence of eating disorders in sports has been repeatedly documented, yet few preventive measures have been implemented. While most studies explore risk factors through quantitative means, few have investigated how athletes themselves experience the triggering elements in sports and how they perceive these triggers could be better managed. Another persistent question is why some athletes from a given sport and environment develop eating disorders while others do not. This study explore the experienced triggers reported by athletes who have struggled with eating disorders and compare them to the perspectives of athletes without eating disorders from the same environment. The study also aim to gather perceptions from both groups on how eating disorders and body dissatisfaction could be better addressed and prevented in sports.
Read the detailed description
Thirty years ago a Norwegian publication explored what athletes with eating disorders have experienced as the causes to their condition. Early specialization and sports cultures with early introduction to weighing and weight adjustment, high training volume, and traumatic experiences (body comments, loss of an important coach, family events) were highlighted as key self-perceived causes. This study and findings have been regularly cited and upheld as facts in professional and research literature but have not been further explored or replicated and confirmed since. This may be part of the reason why the sports world has not fully recognized its responsibility for measures despite the prevalence of eating disorders remaining unchanged over these decades. There is a need to continue exploring why some athletes develop eating disorders while others from the same conditions do not. This can be done by building on previous research and knowledge, examining specific personal or situational factors that may constitute an additional vulnerability, and also by considering self-experiences. There is also a need to understand what athletes believe can help reduce body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This is especially relevant when considering how both the sports world and society have changed over these 30 years. Early specialization in sports, the desire to be a talent at a young age, and the massive influence of social media are factors that may be particularly challenging risk factors. Better knowledge can be used to develop supportive guidelines for sports teams and cultures, necessary rule changes, and in the education, training, and awareness of sports coaches and support staff. Such knowledge is also crucial when the sports world itself is to design the content of a national action plan to prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in sports.
- Conditions
- Eating Disorders
- Being tested
- Interview
- Keywords
- athlete, sport, health, illness, mental illness, eating disorder, relative energy deficiency in sport, REDs, low energy availability, LEA, body dissatisfaction, body appearance pressure, body ideal
- Medical subject headings
- Feeding and Eating Disorders, Mental Disorders, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
InterviewOther
The athletes contributes with experience exchange through individual interviews, following a interview template
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Athlete with eating disorder | Athletes with/with a history of eating disorder while competing in sport Receives: Other: Interview | |
| Athlete without eating disorder | Athletes without any history of eating disorder and originating from the same club or team as the athlete with an eating disorder Receives: Other: Interview |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Timing of eating disorder symptoms
Question asking about when the eating disorder first started (age, performance period and level)
Measured: August-December 2024
Cause to development of eating disorders
Question asking about what the athlete think triggered the eating disorder. comparing responses from the athlete WITH an eating disorder to the thoughts of the athlete without an eating disorder.
Measured: August-December 2024
Knowledge on the eating disorder
Did the others in the team know about the eating disorder experienced by one of the athletes What did they observe, how did they respond or think about it, how did it affect the suffering athlete if she/he knew the others knew/did not knew.
Measured: August-December 2024
Preventive measures
Question on what can be done to prevent eating disorders in sport. How can we better prevent eating disorders in sport; what needs to be done, what must be changed.
Measured: August-December 2024
Secondary outcomes (3)
Background variable, current symptoms of eating disorder
Eating disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) by Prof. Fairburn. A validated questionnaire to measure symptom severity of eating disorders.
Measured: August-December 2024
Background variable, family history
Have others in the family been diagnosed with an eating disorder (genetics), have others in the family competed in sport (environmental factors)
Measured: August-December 2024
Background variable, other interests and identity
Have you had interests that you have invested time in, other than sport?
Measured: August-December 2024
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Jul 2024
- Study start15 Nov 2024
- Primary completion30 Dec 2025
- Study completion25 Feb 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Eating DisordersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ostfold University College
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Therese Fostervold Mathisen, Ostfold University College
- Investigators
- Therese F Mathisen, PhD, Principal investigator, Associate Professor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06518954
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 734444
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Jul 2024
- Last updated
- 15 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Interviews will not be shared with others
Publications
Sundgot-Borgen J. Prevalence of eating disorders in elite female athletes. Int J Sport Nutr. 1993 Mar;3(1):29-40. doi: 10.1123/ijsn.3.1.29.
PubMed 8499936
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Self-Perceived Causes and Triggers for Eating Disorders in Athletes.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06518954
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 734444
- Conditions
- Eating Disorders
- Keywords
- athlete, sport, health, illness, mental illness, eating disorder, relative energy deficiency in sport, REDs
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Ostfold University CollegeUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
- Study start
- 15 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 25 Feb 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Over the past 30 years, a high prevalence of eating disorders in sports has been repeatedly documented, yet few preventive measures have been implemented. While most studies explore risk factors through quantitative means, few have investigated how athletes themselves experience the triggering elements in sports and how they perceive these triggers could be better managed. Another persistent question is why some athletes from a given sport and environment develop eating disorders while others do not. This study explore the experienced triggers reported by athletes who have struggled with eating disorders and compare them to the perspectives of athletes without eating disorders from the same environment. The study also aim to gather perceptions from both groups on how eating disorders and body dissatisfaction could be better addressed and prevented in sports.
Detailed description
Thirty years ago a Norwegian publication explored what athletes with eating disorders have experienced as the causes to their condition. Early specialization and sports cultures with early introduction to weighing and weight adjustment, high training volume, and traumatic experiences (body comments, loss of an important coach, family events) were highlighted as key self-perceived causes. This study and findings have been regularly cited and upheld as facts in professional and research literature but have not been further explored or replicated and confirmed since. This may be part of the reason why the sports world has not fully recognized its responsibility for measures despite the prevalence of eating disorders remaining unchanged over these decades. There is a need to continue exploring why some athletes develop eating disorders while others from the same conditions do not. This can be done by building on previous research and knowledge, examining specific personal or situational factors that may constitute an additional vulnerability, and also by considering self-experiences. There is also a need to understand what athletes believe can help reduce body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This is especially relevant when considering how both the sports world and society have changed over these 30 years. Early specialization in sports, the desire to be a talent at a young age, and the massive influence of social media are factors that may be particularly challenging risk factors. Better knowledge can be used to develop supportive guidelines for sports teams and cultures, necessary rule changes, and in the education, training, and awareness of sports coaches and support staff. Such knowledge is also crucial when the sports world itself is to design the content of a national action plan to prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in sports.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Athlete with eating disorder | – | Other: InterviewAthletes with/with a history of eating disorder while competing in sport |
| Athlete without eating disorder | – | Other: InterviewAthletes without any history of eating disorder and originating from the same club or team as the athlete with an eating disorder |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
- Study population
- Athletes are recruited that has a past or current eating disorder, who will also suggest control individuals from the same sports team who have not had an eating disorder and can be invited to the study. These controls will serve as a comparable reference group regarding specific sports/team culture and nuances of personal experiences.
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- previous/current competitive career in sport
- cohort 1: athlete with an/with a history of an eating disorder
- cohort 2: athlete from the same club without an eating disorder
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- disabled athletes
- not competitive athlete (below Tier 3)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| InterviewThe athletes contributes with experience exchange through individual interviews, following a interview template | Other | Athlete with eating disorder, Athlete without eating disorder |
Primary outcome
Timing of eating disorder symptoms
Time frame: August-December 2024
Question asking about when the eating disorder first started (age, performance period and level)
Cause to development of eating disorders
Time frame: August-December 2024
Question asking about what the athlete think triggered the eating disorder. comparing responses from the athlete WITH an eating disorder to the thoughts of the athlete without an eating disorder.
Knowledge on the eating disorder
Time frame: August-December 2024
Did the others in the team know about the eating disorder experienced by one of the athletes What did they observe, how did they respond or think about it, how did it affect the suffering athlete if she/he knew the others knew/did not knew.
Preventive measures
Time frame: August-December 2024
Question on what can be done to prevent eating disorders in sport. How can we better prevent eating disorders in sport; what needs to be done, what must be changed.
3 secondary outcomes
Background variable, current symptoms of eating disorder
Time frame: August-December 2024
Background variable, family history
Time frame: August-December 2024
Background variable, other interests and identity
Time frame: August-December 2024
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 8499936Sundgot-Borgen J. Prevalence of eating disorders in elite female athletes. Int J Sport Nutr. 1993 Mar;3(1):29-40. doi: 10.1123/ijsn.3.1.29.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Interviews will not be shared with others
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Therese F Mathisen, PhD principal investigator
Associate Professor
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Eating Disorders, run by Ostfold University College at 2 sites in Norway.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in Norway. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Timing of eating disorder symptoms (time frame: August-December 2024). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06518954, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.