Determination of Eating Behaviors of Volleyball Players

Abstract

Many factors play a role in the development of eating behavior disorder, and eating behavior disorders can lead to important health problems. Seventy-one licensed volleyball players between the ages of 18 and 40 and affiliated with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Volleyball Federation participated in this research. Turkish-validated version of The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire was given to the participants in which their general knowledge and eating behaviors were questioned. Anthropometric measurements of the individuals were taken with the Tanita MC-780 device. Turkey test was used in cases where statistical difference was determined. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the correlations between anthropometric measurements and The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire scores. On the other hand, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between restrictive eating behavior score according to the age of the participants (p < .05). Also as the emotional eating scores of the athletes increase, the amount of body fat (%) increases and the amount of muscle (%) decreases. It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the total Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire score, the emotional eating, restrictive eating, and external eating behavior subscores according to the gender of the athletes (p > .05). Since eating behaviors are associated with many factors such as age, anthropometric measurements, and education level, it is of great importance to evaluate each factor and determine the possible risks in athletes in order to prevent more serious eating behavior problems that may occur in the future.