Prevalence and characteristics of abnormal eating behaviours among young judo athletes in Poland – an analysis of sex differences

Introduction and Objective . Young matial arts sports athletes may be particularly vulnerable to developing abnormal eating behaviours. To date, no studies on eating disorders among young judo athletes have been conducted in Poland. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of abnormal eating behaviours among young judo athletes, with emphasis on dietary restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. Materials and Method . A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 judo athletes aged 12–17 years (70 girls, 80 boys). Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the TSJ Questionnaire assessing emotional eating and eating in response to external stimuli, and the TFEQ-13 assessing dietary restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. Results . Girls showed higher emotional eating than boys on both measures (TFEQ-13: d=0.57, p<.001; TSJ: d=0.45; p=0.007). Using the 75th percentile cutoff, 31.4% of girls versus 12.5% of boys exceeded the threshold for elevated emotional eating on the TFEQ-13 (p=0.005). A sex × age interaction (p=0.017) revealed elevated emotional eating in girls aged 14–15 years (M=3.55) versus boys (M=1.40, d=1.13). No sex differences were observed in dietary restraint, uncontrolled eating, or external eating. Dietary restraint did not correlate with other behaviours (r≤0.10). Despite equivalent weight control (75%) and competition participation (97%), girls reported greater body dissatisfaction (p=0.015) and lower multi-sport participation (21% vs 46%, p=0.001), suggesting that sex differences reflect divergent psychological responses to shared sport pressures. Conclusions. Emotional eating is the primary vulnerability among young judo athletes, with marked sex differences and peak risk at ages 14–15 for girls. Findings support sex-specific prevention targeting emotion regulation and body image resilience.