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Biomedical subjects

Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen

Publications and source records attributed to Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

The female athlete triad: are elite athletes at increased risk?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the percentage of elite athletes and controls at risk of the female athlete triad. METHODS: A detailed questionnaire, which included questions regarding training and/or physical activity patterns, menstrual history, oral contraceptive use, weight history, eating patterns, dietary history, and the Body Dissatisfaction (BD) and Drive for Thinness (DT) subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), was prepared. The questionnaire was administered to the total population of female elite athletes in Norway representing the national teams at the junior or senior level, 13-39 yr of age (N = 938) and non-athlete controls in the same age group (N = 900). After exclusion, a total of 669 athletes (88%) and 607 controls (70%) completed the questionnaire satisfactorily. RESULTS: A higher percentage of controls (69.2%) than athletes (60.4%) was classified as being at risk of the Triad (P < 0.01). A higher percentage of controls than athletes reported use of pathogenic weight-control methods and had high BD subscale scores (P < 0.001). However, more athletes reported menstrual dysfunction and stress fractures compared with controls (P < 0.05). A higher percentage of both athletes competing in leanness sports (70.1%) and the non-athlete control group (69.2%) was classified as being at risk of the Triad compared with athletes competing in non-leanness sports (55.3%) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, a higher percentage of athletes competing in aesthetic sports (66.4%) than ball game sports (52.6%) was classified as being at risk of the Triad (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: More athletes competing in leanness sports and more non-athlete controls were classified as being at risk of the Triad compared with athletes competing in non-leanness sports.

Adolescent↗

Bone mineral density in Norwegian premenopausal women.

The aims of this study were: 1) to determine bone mineral density (BMD) in different age groups, 2) to determine the prevalence of low BMD, and 3) to determine the possible association between BMD and a number of risk factors in Norwegian premenopausal women. BMD of the lumbar spine (L(2)-L(4)), total body, and the hip (total femur, femur neck, and trochanter) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Prodigy, Lunar) in 145 randomly selected women aged 13-39 years. Information on other factors thought to influence BMD was obtained through questionnaire and a clinical interview. The group aged 25-29 years had the highest mean BMD in the total body, lumbar spine, and total femur while the group aged 13-19 years had the highest mean BMD in the femur neck and the trochanter. The mean BMD values of Norwegian premenopausal women were 3.4-5.1% higher than US/European reference data (P<0.05). Five percent of the study sample aged 20-39 years were defined with low BMD (Z-score <-2) using the standard values from this study. Weight-bearing physical activity, body weight, body height, and age were positively associated with BMD, whilst menstrual dysfunction and previous pregnancy were associated with lower BMD in some of the measurement sites. The results show that the factors associated with BMD are extensive, and the strategies to prevent low BMD have to be multifactorial. A follow-up study should be conducted on the study sample to investigate actual mean BMD values and BMD changes through time.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

[Are young Norwegian women sufficiently physically active?].

BACKGROUND: The physical activity level of girls and young women is not known in Norway, hence the aim of this survey was to study physical activity and compare it with national recommendations for physical activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was administered to a representative sample of women aged 13-39 years (n=900). The response rate was 69%; 549 women were included in the study. RESULTS: The physical activity level and intensity of exercise decreased with increasing age. 52 % percent of those aged 13-19 met the recommendations for adolescents: at least one hour of activity per day, including walking or other activities of at least moderate intensity. 63% percent of women in the age group 20-39 were physically active during the last week, on average at least 30 minutes every day at moderate intensity. In the age bracket 20-29 and 30-39 years, 72%, and 57%, respectively met the recommendations. INTERPRETATION: The activity level decreased with increasing age. Every second adolescent girl and four in ten young women were not as physically active as recommended.

Adolescent↗

[Eating disorders among athletes].

Over the past 20 years, a number of studies have been published that generally suggest a higher frequency of eating disorders among athletes than among non-athletes. Participation in competitive sport has also been considered an important factor related to the development of eating disorders. Taken together, most studies have suggested that eating disorders are particularly prevalent in sports that emphasise leanness or low body weight. However, some studies suggest a similar or lower prevalence of eating disorders compared with controls or athletes at a lower competitive level. Athletes constitute a unique population and the impact of factors such as training, eating pattern, extreme diets, restriction of food intake and psychopathological profile among them must be evaluated differently from that among non-athletes. A concerted effort by coaches, athletic trainers, parents, athletes and healthcare personnel is optimal in order to recognise, prevent and treat eating disorders in athletes.

Anorexia Nervosa↗

Prevalence of eating disorders in elite athletes is higher than in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the study were to examine the prevalence of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), anorexia athletica (AA), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (ED-NOS) in both male and female Norwegian elite athletes and a representative sample from the general Norwegian population. DESIGN: A 2-step study including self-reported questionnaire and clinical interview. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: The entire population of Norwegian male and female elite athletes (n=1620) and controls (n=1696) was evaluated for the presence of eating disorders (EDs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Based on the results of the questionnaire, all athletes and controls classified as at risk for EDs, and a representative sample of athletes and controls classified as healthy participated in the clinical part of the study to determine the number of subjects meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria for EDs. RESULTS: More athletes (13.5%) than controls (4.6%; P<0.001) had subclinical or clinical EDs. The prevalence of EDs among male athletes was greater in antigravitation sports (22%) than in ball game (5%) and endurance sports (9%; P<0.05). The prevalence of EDs among female athletes competing in aesthetic sports (42%) was higher than that observed in endurance (24%), technical (17%), and ball game sports (16%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of EDs is higher in athletes than in controls, higher in female athletes than in male athletes, and more common among those competing in leanness-dependent and weight-dependent sports than in other sports. A collaborative effort among coaches, athletic trainers, parents, physicians, and athletes is optimal for recognizing, preventing, and treating EDs in athletes.

Adolescent↗

Experiences of sexual harassment and abuse among Norwegian elite female athletes and nonathletes.

This paper compares the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse among 660 Norwegian elite female athletes and an age-matched control sample of nonathletes. It also explores differences in the prevalence of harassment and abuse in sport and work or school settings and compares harassment and abuse perpetrated by male authority figures and peers in these different contexts. No differences were found between the athletes and controls in overall prevalence of sexual harassment or abuse. However, the athletes experienced significantly more harassment from male authority figures than did the controls. Based on these results, the article considers whether or not sport offers women any particular immunity from sexual harassment and abuse. The implications of the findings for structural and cultural change in sport are discussed.

Adolescent↗

[Physical activity among pregnant women in relation to pregnancy-related complaints and symptoms of depression].

BACKGROUND: The possible association between physical activity and symptoms of depression during pregnancy and post partum has not been examined in Norway. The objectives of this study were to track levels of physical activity of pregnant women and to examine possible differences in symptoms of depression and prenatal complaints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 203 pregnant women in Oslo aged 18 to 40 completed the depression scale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) and a self-developed questionnaire. RESULTS: Their average physical activity was two hours and 36 minutes per week; 70% were active during at least two trimesters. The most popular activities reported were walking, aerobics and swimming. Respondents who had high score on the HADS-D test during pregnancy and/or post partum had significantly more pre-natal complaints than those with a normal score. Pregnant women defined as moderately physically active during the third trimester had significantly lower scores on the HADS-D test six weeks after birth than the not-active. There was also a significant inverse correlation between test score and amount of physical activity. INTERPRETATION: This study indicates that women who are physically active during pregnancy have lower scores on a test measuring depressive symptoms during pregnancy and post partum. However, randomised controlled prospective studies are necessary in order to confirm the possible association.

Adolescent↗

The effect of exercise, cognitive therapy, and nutritional counseling in treating bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this treatment study on bulimia nervosa was (i) to examine the effect of physical exercise as an experimental treatment condition against the well-documented effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and (ii) to compare the effect of CBT versus the effect of nutritional advice as one single treatment component of CBT. METHOD: Normal weight female bulimic patients aged 18-29 yr were randomly assigned to a physical exercise program (N = 15), CBT (N = 16), nutritional advice (N = 17), or a waiting list control group (N = 16). Seventeen healthy female control subjects were also included. Treatment effects were determined by the frequency of binge eating and purging, scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory subscales "Drive for thinness," "Bulimia," and "Body dissatisfaction" and by a clinical interview to measure symptom severity. Assessments were made before and after treatment and at 6- and 18-month follow-up after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Nutritional counseling did not prove more effective than CBT. Physical exercise appeared more effective than CBT in reducing pursuit of thinness; change in body composition; aerobic fitness; and frequency of bingeing, purging, and laxative abuse. CONCLUSION: Physical exercise is important in the treatment of normal weight bulimic patients. Further studies should address possible additive effects of CBT and physical exercise.

Adolescent↗