Who is at risk?

Any athlete or active individual, regardless of age, gender, competition level, body shape or background, are at risk of REDs. It is worth noting that REDs is not limited to female athletes and is also experienced in the male athlete population, though these cases are sometimes underreported (Zhou et al., 2021; Mountjoy et al., 2018; Stenqvist et al., 2021). 

It is important an athlete support practitioner is aware of the athlete cohort they are working with. The use of language within an athletic environment can be hugely impactful, both positive and detrimental. Words can shape an athlete’s perception of their body, performance and food habits; therefore, aim to create alignment in appropriate language use with your support staff to ensure you are creating a healthy high high-performing environment.  

Coaching tips:

• Focus on performance outcomes/metrics rather than weight, or ‘leanness’.
• Create a healthy culture around food as a tool to ‘fuel’ and ‘recovery’ rather than labelling ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
• Educate youth athletes on the importance of food and nutrition to fuel their growth, development and overall health.
• Encourage rest and recovery, emphasising adequate recovery encourages training adaptation.
• Encourage open conversations with the athlete- a safe space to talk.