Body composition test cause controversy among athletes struggling with eating disorders.

Audra Koopman, a former Penn State track runner, discussed her struggles with bulimia in college. Koopman explained how her coaches praised her for losing body fat, and the body composition test gave her a great amount of pressure to maintain a low weight. Koopman described how she spiraled and had to go on medical leave.

Other athletes have also gone through a similar situation. Coaches put this pressure on athletes to lose weight and use the body composition test to track the athlete’s progress. These athletes were not told to find their perfect body fat percentage but instead were told that the lower the percentage the better.

The athletes agree that the body composition test can be a great tool to help athletes with their health. The downfall is that coaches are not well educated on these results and are harming their athletes by setting unrealistic expectations.

The athletes in the article all agree that testing can be a helpful tool but colleges need to be more aware of the effect it may have on athletes’ mental health.

This is news because athletes feel great pressure to perform. Sometimes this pressure can turn into harmful practices to achieve their goals. This can not only be harmful physical but mental as well. It is important that coaches are well-educated on this subject to make sure their players are healthy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/sports/college-athletes-body-fat-women.html