a meta-analytic review found that cheerleaders and dancers were at greater risk than

nonlean sport athletes, while swimmers and gymnasts were not. In fact, in this study,

gymnasts were slightly less at risk than other lean sport athletes. Because the sport

specific demands vary among lean sports, more specific research categories are necessary

when examining eating disorders and athletes.

 Some researchers (Davison, Earnest, & Birch, 2002; Hausenblas & Carron, 1999;

Sundgot-Borgen & Larsen, 1993) have used a six-category breakdown of sports.

Aesthetic sports are those in which appearance plays a role in determining performance

excellence, such as gymnastics, figure skating, and diving. Endurance sports, such as

swimming and cross-country running, are distance sports in which body size affects

performance. Ball game sports use a ball in play, and include basketball, soccer, and

baseball. Weight-dependent sports are those in which specific weight limits or categories

are used; for example, wrestling or lightweight rowing. Physical strength is the main

component of power sports, which include shot put, sprinting, and power lifting.

Technical sports are those in which skill, rather than physical ability is necessary; for

example, shooting or billiards (Hausenblas & Carron).

 Much research has investigated the prevalence of disordered eating in aesthetic

sports, of which gymnastics is part. For example, Stoutjesdyk and Jevne (1993) examined

high performance athletes participating in aesthetic, weight-dependent, and nonweight-

dependent sports, and they found that athletes in aesthetic and weight-dependent sports

scored higher on the Eating Attitudes Test than the athletes in nonweight-dependent

sports did. Sundgot-Borgen (1993) found that athletes in aesthetic, weight dependent, and

endurance sports had the highest frequency of pathogenic weight control methods.