A second limitation to this study was that it relied on self-report measures and no

objective measure of disordered eating symptoms was used. Several researchers have

found that women are not always honest when completing disordered eating

questionnaires, and tend to underreport their symptoms (O'Connor et al., 1995; Sundgot-

Borgen, 1993; Wilmore, 1991). To maximize honest responses, participants in this study

were informed that their responses were anonymous, and that their coaches, trainers,

parents, and teammates would not have access to their responses. To help check the

honesty of participant's responses, including a social desirability measure would have

been beneficial.

 A third limitation was the use of different data collection methods. Direct

administration and mail-based methods were used. Although it is desirable to use the

same method for all data collection, the logistics involved with this study made this

difficult. Because the gymnasts participating in this study were at schools from all over

the country, it was impossible for me to directly administer the questionnaire to them. In

the future, creating an online questionnaire at the onset of the study would be a

convenient and private way to use the same procedure to collect data from a large sample

across a vast geographic region.

 Future Directions

 This study was one of the first to investigate disordered eating correlates with

athletes over time, and was the first to do so with gymnasts. The results of this study

indicate that further research in this area is needed. First, more longitudinal studies are

needed to investigate how athletes' eating attitudes and behaviors change over time.

Researchers should examine disordered eating correlates in athletes over the course of an

entire year (i.e., preseason, competitive season, postseason, and off-season) to determine