Preliminary evaluation of the online course “I Care” targeting eating disorder knowledge and attitudes among sports coaches and fitness instructors

Abstract

Plain English summary Fitness instructors, coaches and trainers are often looked up to within their sporting community. They are also likely to meet individuals at risk for developing eating disorders, since excessive or compulsive exercise is a common symptom of these disorders. Coaches therefore need to know more about how to promote healthy ideals and how to detect and approach individuals at risk of developing an eating disorder. We studied if a brief online education called I Care could improve personal compulsive exercise tendencies, knowledge about eating disorders, and readiness to approach individuals seemingly at risk, in 150 coaches, trainers, and fitness instructors. We found that coaches felt more confident and knowledgeable about warning signs and how to approach a person at risk after completing I Care. They also showed increased insight about EDs not being recognizable just by looking at a person and their attitudes about their own exercise behavior changed in a positive way. Although the lack of a comparison group makes conclusions tentative, I Care may have positive effects in terms of a “declaration of intent” toward more positive role-modeling and interactions with clients.

Keywords

• Eating disorders
• Compulsive exercise
• Coaches
• Trainers
• Fitness instructors
• Confidence