Evaluation of eating attitudes and obsession with healthy eating of apprentice jockeys and wrestlers

Abstract

Background

This study investigated the risks of eating disorders in sports where weight control is critical, focusing on apprentice jockeys and wrestlers.

Method

A total of 31 apprentice jockeys and 22 wrestlers, aged 15 to 19, participated in the study. To evaluate eating behaviors, participants completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and the ORTO-15 test. The EAT-26 assessed the risk of disordered eating, with scores of 20 or above indicating high risk, while ORTO-15 scores below 40 suggested a risk of unhealthy eating obsession. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results

The results showed a significant difference in the EAT-26 mean scores between apprentice jockeys and wrestlers (p = 0.034). Apprentice jockeys had higher mean scores (15.97 ± 9.72) than wrestlers (11.05 ± 9.19), with 25.8% of apprentice jockeys and 13.6% of wrestlers classified as having high risk for eating disorders. Subdomain analysis revealed that bulimic and oral control behaviors were similar between groups (p > 0.05), but dieting scores were significantly higher among apprentice jockeys (p = 0.004). According to the ORTO-15 results, 67.7% of apprentice jockeys and 81.8% of wrestlers scored below 40, indicating a high prevalence of healthy eating behaviors, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.562).

Conclusion

These findings highlight the heightened risk of eating disorders in weight-control sports, particularly among apprentice jockeys who compete more frequently than wrestlers. Increased dieting among jockeys may raise their vulnerability to disordered eating. Classifying wrestling and horse racing as weight-class sports may encourage athletes to adopt healthier food choices.