Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Eating disorders (ED) are serious illnesses, and those suffering from them often use fitness centres to exercise. Research indicates ED symptoms are also elevated in gym attendees (McCabe & James, 2009), and most fitness professionals (FP) report having encountered clients with severe EDs (Manley, O’Brien, & Samuels, 2008; Wojtowicz, Alberga, Parsons, & von Ranson, 2015). In addition, studies indicate that FPs tend to harbour weight bias (Panza et al., 2018), suggesting they side with the dominant cultural values of appearance over health. Fitness centres and FPs therefore represent an untapped opportunity for ED prevention efforts. This study aims to provide a base-rate for ED symptomatology in Canadian FPs and to assess if these base-rates, along with ED history and weight bias, will predict a) FPs’ ability to identify an ED in a client, and b) the likelihood of endorsing extreme diet and exercise for that client. Higher levels of ED symptoms and weight bias are hypothesized to predict a) lower accuracy in ED identification and b) more support for extreme diet and fitness goals. ED history is expected to moderate these relationships. FPs will be recruited in partnership with Canadian fitness centres and regulatory bodies. In addition to completing measures assessing ED symptoms and weight bias, participants will read a vignette featuring a client with an ED. They will also be asked to classify the client’s exercise behaviour and to select the type of fitness program they would recommend. Hypotheses will be evaluated using logistical regression. This research will help physicians, psychologists, and others who work with EDs understand more about FPs and the fitness industry as these often form a significant part of the ED experience, including relapse and recovery.