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“What should I do? Should I do something? If so, what?”: Exploring fitness instructors’ and personal trainers’ experience on eating disorders and disordered eating within the Swedish fitness context
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.
2024 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (professional degree), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

People exercise for various reasons. Some do it to become physically strong, others to improve their cardio fitness, and some to promote their mental health. It is unclear to what extent; but there are those who work out in a way that becomes harmful to them. Exercise can go from being the ultimate expression of health, to becoming a symptom of an eating disorder. Fitness instructors’ and personal trainers’ are responsible for the safety of members at gyms and fitness facilities and for ensuring that they do not injure themselves during a workout session. What is included in the concept of safety is arbitrary and fitness facilities around Sweden approach this in different ways. The purpose of this study is to investigate fitness instructors' and personal trainers' perceptions of their knowledge, competence and responsibility when dealing with eating disorders or suspected eating disorders in the fitness context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants consisting of personal trainers and fitness instructors from four different gyms and fitness facilities in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden. Collected data was analysed through reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). The analysis resulted in three themes and ten sub-themes. The results suggest that a majority of the interviewed fitness instructors and personal trainers perceive their theoretical knowledge about eating disorders as good/sufficient, but insufficient regarding practical knowledge to manage eating disorders in the fitness environment. Responding to a concern regarding eating disorders among gym members presents a range of challenges that are described as emotionally stressful. Furthermore, fitness instructors and personal trainers need more practical knowledge in dealing with eating disorders as well as clear guidelines and policies regarding where their responsibilities begin and end. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. , p. 29
Keywords [en]
Eating disorder, Disordered eating, Knowledge, Fitness instructors, Personal trainers
National Category
Psychology Sport and Fitness Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-225175OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-225175DiVA, id: diva2:1862242
Subject / course
Examensarbete i psykologi
Educational program
Masters Programme in Sports Psychology
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2024-06-03 Created: 2024-05-29 Last updated: 2025-02-11Bibliographically approved

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Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
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  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
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Output format
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  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf