Evaluation of dietary attitudes of physical activity practitioners: bodybuilding vs. Functional training

Abstract

Introduction: Disordered eating is more common than eating disorders and includes unhealthy practices for weight loss or control, including dysfunctional behaviors related to body dissatisfaction, inappropriate eating behaviors such as the use of purgative practices and restrictive diets. Objectives: To evaluate the eating attitudes of bodybuilding and functional training practitioners. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study with prospective data collection. It was invited practitioners of bodybuilding (n=32) and functional training (n=34), of both sexes, over 18 years old, from two gyms of São Paulo. The Disordered Eating Attitudes Scale (DEAS) was applied online, and nutritional status was assessed through the weight and height referred to at the time of the survey. The comparison of eating attitudes between the types of physical activity was made using the Mann Whitney test. The study was submitted to the UNIP Ethics Committee and approved through Opinion 3.604.209 and all participants signed an informed consent. Results: The mean final EAAT score was 68.08 (SD 15.88). With higher score in bodybuilding practitioners, female and overweight. Conclusion: Dietary attitudes of physical activity practitioners are more inadequate in specific issues, being more inadequate among bodybuilders practitioners, female and overweight, which demonstrates the importance of the nutritionist in the gyms for proper monitoring, combined with the goals of each individual.