Publication date: Feb 03, 2025

The consequences of home quarantines and different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic have profoundly affected adolescent athletes both physically and mentally. This cross-sectional survey aimed to compare lifestyle, mental health, and eating disorders among adolescent athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The subjects comprised of athletes aged 12 to 18 years from various sports, including, soccer, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, athletics, and taekwondo. A total of 124 youth athletes were randomly selected for participation. The participants were divided into two groups based on whether they were involved in team or individual sports. An eating disorders questionnaire, a lifestyle questionnaire, and a general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) were administered. Descriptive statistics and MANOVA were used to analyze the results. There was a significant difference between lifestyle, mental health, and eating disorder variables between team and individual athletes (P < .005). In this study, "eating disorders" specifically refer to disordered eating behaviors commonly associated with athletes, such as restrictive eating, binge eating, or symptoms of conditions like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. While not all participants met clinical diagnostic criteria, the results have potential clinical implications for mental health care, particularly in identifying and addressing disordered eating behaviors in young athletes. To address these issues, coordinated efforts from parents, schools, and organizations are essential. These efforts should include workshops to promote social support, communication, and awareness of lifestyle, mental health, and eating disorders.

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