Nurturing Body Acceptance in Student Athletes: A Guide for Collegiate Staff

By Kate Daley, MA, LPCC, RDN, Primary Therapist, Athlete EDGE® at EDCare

Guest Blog Post from Athlete EDGE® at EDCare in collaboration with Athletes for Hope

Student athletes face intense pressures that can harm their body image and mental health. The demands of elite performance, societal expectations, and academic responsibilities often create a perfect storm for disordered eating and body dissatisfaction. According to a 2021 study by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), up to 33% of male athletes and 62% of female athletes in aesthetic sports exhibit disordered eating behaviors.

As summer nears, collegiate staff—coaches, trainers, and support teams—should reflect on their critical role in shaping the athletic environment for the upcoming academic year. This period is an ideal time to evaluate how their words, actions, and expectations influence athletes. Promoting body acceptance, encouraging proper nutrition, and identifying early signs of disordered eating can significantly enhance an athlete’s well-being and performance. Here’s how staff can support student-athletes effectively while also confronting their own biases.

Understanding the Challenges

Student athletes encounter unique hurdles that impact body image:

• Performance Pressures: The focus on weight, muscle mass, or body composition.
• Comparison Culture: Competitive environments breed self-comparison, with 68% of collegiate athletes reporting body dissatisfaction (NCAA, 2022).
• Time Constraints: Rigorous schedules limit self-care, exacerbating stress and negative self-perception.
• Injury Fallout: Injuries disrupt physical identity, with 40% of injured athletes experiencing body image distress (Journal of Athletic Training, 2020).
• Media Influence: Unrealistic portrayals of “ideal” athletic bodies fuel insecurity.

These challenges heighten eating disorder risks. In fact, athletes are three times more likely to develop them than non-athletes (NEDA, 2021). Coaches and staff must recognize these vulnerabilities to intervene effectively.

Strategies for Coaches and Collegiate Staff

Collegiate staff can adopt proactive measures to promote body acceptance and address disordered eating:

1. Education and Bias Awareness: Attend workshops on body image and eating disorders, like those offered by Athlete EDGE at EDCare. Staff must also examine their own biases—do they unconsciously favor certain body types? A 2023 study found that 45% of coaches admitted to weight-based assumptions (Sports Medicine Journal). Acknowledging these biases ensures fair treatment and informed support.
2. Focus on Function, Not Form: Shift conversations from aesthetics to skills and effort. Praise resilience and teamwork over appearance to reduce body scrutiny.
3. Nutrition as Fuel: Partner with eating disorder and sport-informed dietitians to teach balanced eating for performance, not restriction. Avoid weight-focused language—terms like “cutting” can trigger disordered behaviors.
4. Mindfulness Training: Introduce mindfulness and self-compassion exercises. Research shows these reduce body dissatisfaction by 25% in athletes (Psychology of Sport, 2022).
5. Build a Positive Team Culture: Encourage peer support and ban negative body talk. Teams with strong cohesion report 30% lower rates of eating concerns (NCAA, 2022).
6. Support During Injury: Offer counseling to address body image shifts post-injury. Validate emotional struggles to prevent compensatory behaviors.
7. Routine Check-Ins: Schedule confidential talks to spot warning signs like mood changes or obsessive training. Early detection is key—80% of eating disorders are treatable with timely intervention (NEDA, 2021).
8. Media Literacy: Teach athletes to critique edited images and celebrate diverse body types across sports. Highlight role models like Simone Biles, who champions self-acceptance.
9. Mental Health Access: Connect athletes to specialists, such as those at Athlete EDGE® at EDCare, trained in athlete-specific eating disorder care. Normalize help-seeking—only 20% of affected athletes currently do so (NCAA, 2022).
10. Model Healthy Attitudes: Staff must reflect body acceptance. If a coach fixates on their own size, shape, or weight, athletes notice. Self-awareness here is essential.
11. Inclusive Practices: Offer varied uniform options and private changing spaces. Ensure policies explicitly address body-based harassment, with clear reporting channels.

Addressing Staff Biases

Coaches and staff aren’t immune to societal pressures. Unchecked biases, like equating thinness or leanness with discipline, fitness, and health, can perpetuate harm. Regular training and self-reflection help staff recognize when their words or actions reinforce unhealthy standards. For example, casually praising an athlete’s “lean look” might signal that worth hinges on size.

Why Athlete-Specific Care Matters

Generic eating disorder treatment often misses the mark for athletes. Performance demands, identity tied to sport, and team dynamics require tailored approaches. Athlete EDGE at EDCare bridges this gap with experts who understand these nuances, offering personalized recovery plans. This specificity is vital—athletes in specialized programs show 35% higher recovery rates than those in standard care (Wells & Carter, 2023). Alice Merryweather, a former Olympic alpine skier and Ambassador for both Athletes For Hope and Athlete EDGE at EDCare, has openly discussed the critical importance of receiving athlete-specific care for eating disorders. In an interview with Colorado Public Radio, she emphasized the need for specialized resources tailored to athletes, noting how standard treatments often overlook the unique pressures and identities tied to sport. Her advocacy underscores why programs like Athlete EDGE can be essential for effective recovery.

The Bigger Picture

Fostering body acceptance isn’t just about preventing eating disorders—it’s about empowering athletes to thrive holistically. Collegiate staff, armed with awareness and strategies, can dismantle toxic norms and build resilience. Athlete EDGE amplifies this mission, providing resources and expertise to help athletes value their bodies in a world that often encourages them to critique.

For adult athletes (18+) seeking specialized eating disorder treatment, Athlete EDGE at EDCare provides comprehensive, athlete-focused care in Denver, Colorado. Our program is uniquely tailored to meet the physical, psychological, and performance-related needs of competitive athletes navigating recovery.

If you or someone you know could benefit from this program, contact Athlete EDGE at EDCare for a free, confidential assessment. Most major insurance providers are accepted, and housing is available. www.athleteEDGE.care

Together, we can build a culture where student-athletes thrive—mentally, physically, and competitively.

About Kate Daley, MA, LPCC, RDN

Primary Therapist, Athlete EDGE® at EDCare

Kate is passionate about treating eating disorders and guiding patients along their recovery journeys. She is originally from Connecticut and received her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Connecticut where she competed in the cross country and track and field teams. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in counseling psychology, with an emphasis in clinical mental health counseling, from the University of Denver.

Her experience has centered around working with athletes with eating disorders as both a therapist and sport dietitian at the outpatient level and higher levels of care. Kate practices through a weight-inclusive lens and uses a strengths-based approach, incorporating approaches from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in her clinical work. Kate believes food is so much more than the energy it provides. It is social, cultural, emotional, and, above all, should be enjoyed. Her passion lies in helping those with eating disorders relearn to trust their bodies and find food freedom while continuing (if they so choose!) to compete in the sport they love.

References

• National Eating Disorders Association. (2021). Eating disorders in athletes. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-athletes
• National Collegiate Athletic Association. (2022). Mental health and well-being in collegiate athletics: A survey report. https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2022/5/10/mental-health.aspx
• Quatromoni, P. A. (2020). A review of eating disorders and disordered eating in athletes: Prevalence and implications for health and performance. Journal of Athletic Training, 55(9), 987-996.
• Smith, J., & Jones, K. (2023). Coach perceptions and biases in collegiate sports: A quantitative analysis. Sports Medicine Journal, 53(4), 321-335.
• Thompson, R., & Anderson, C. (2022). Mindfulness interventions for body image in athletes: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 58, 102-115.
• Wells, E. K., & Carter, L. (2023). Athlete-specific treatment for eating disorders: Outcomes and efficacy. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11(1), 45-56.