Counseling female athletes: Application of the stages of change model to avoid disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis

Research indicates that female athletes from all sports are at risk for dev eloping disordered eating, amenorrhea, and resulting complications. These d isorders, termed the female athlete triad by the American College of Sports Medicine, may lead to significant morbidity and mortality as well as medic al and psychological problems. When female athletes feel pressured to fit a specific physical image, they may develop distorted body images and show d isordered eating patterns. Menstrual dysfunction and premature osteoporosis may result from inadequate nutrition combined with excessive athletic trai ning. Health professionals play important roles in prevention and treatment of these problematic behaviors. This paper examined the stages of the chan ge behavior model and its use in addictive behaviors and provides theoretic al applications of this model to reducing harmful behaviors in female athle tes.