NEDA TOOLKIT for Coaches and Trainers
The potential role of the coach
As a coach or trainer, you play a significant role in the
physical and psychological health of your athletes.
You are a key figure in creating training environments
conducive to successful athletic performance as well as
emotionally rewarding sport experiences.
It is often coaches or trainers – before friends or even
family – who first notice physical changes or shifts in
unhealthy attitudes and behaviors.
If you think an athlete might be at risk for disordered
eating or in the midst of an eating disorder, you are in
a position to help. Remember to involve the athlete’s
family members whenever appropriate. Take warning
signs and eating-disordered behaviors seriously. Eating
disorders are the most deadly of all mental illnesses.
A 2011 study in JAMA Psychiatry found that a young
person with anorexia, for example, is twelve times
more likely to die than his or her healthy classmate.
Cardiac arrest and suicide are the leading causes
of death among people with eating disorders, the
researchers concluded in the same study.
What should you do if you are concerned
about an athlete?
Don’t try to manage the situation alone! Here are some
people and resources to involve.
Parents/guardians Informing an athlete’s parent/guardian should be your
first step. Parents can play a crucial role in helping their
child recover from an eating disorder, even if they are a
young adult.
Health Services at your school
They can help by:
• Connecting the athlete with a doctor for
examination • Monitoring an athlete for weight and vital signs
• Weighing in athletes for weight-restricted
sports • Giving a talk to your team
Mental Health Services
They can help by:
• Connecting the athlete with a therapist
• Talking to the team if there is a designated
specialist • Informing you of the school’s policy on eating
disorders • Aiding in handling athletes who refuse to seek
treatment or address the problem
Nutritionists A registered dietitian or Certified Specialist in Sport
Dietetics can help by:
• Ensuring that the athlete is consuming enough
energy or calories to support daily demands
• Giving an athlete a meal plan
• Talking to the team about supportive eating for
performance Trainers
They can help by:
• Having a good enough rapport with athletes to
sit a player down and express concern
• Giving a talk on the importance of nutrition in
strength and endurance building
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