Research summary · Mental health
Eating disorders and disordered eating across sport
A large prevalence review examines diagnosed eating disorders and screening-defined disordered eating across athlete groups and assessment methods.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression
- Journal
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Active athletes · All levels and disciplines
What the publication reports
The review included 190 studies and 58,335 athletes; 127 higher-quality studies with 43,006 athletes entered meta-analysis. Pooled prevalence was 20.0%, but estimates differed materially by instrument.
Limits and interpretation
Screening tools do not equal clinical diagnoses, heterogeneity was substantial and prevalence varied with instrument, sex composition and publication year. The pooled figure should not be applied to an individual.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Prevalence of eating disorders and disordered eating in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42392846DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2025-110678Reader discussion
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