Abstract
Ritualised exercise commonly accompanies the clinical presentation of anorexia nervosa (AN) sufferers, but there is a paucity of research on structured exercise as a therapeutic intervention. This study examined the usefulness of resistance training as part of a treatment programme for hospitalized anorexics. The study sample consisted of 21 subjects: seven anorexics participating in the exercise programme, seven non-participating anorexics, and seven subjects unaffected by an eating disorder but who participated in the exercise programme. The results show that resistance training is associated with an improvement in body composition and psychological well-being and, although it does not confer an outcome advantage in this regard, it seems to be a useful adjunct in the treatment of hospitalized anorexics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Davis C., Kennedy S.H., Ravelski E., Dionne M.: The role of physical activity in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Psychol. Med., 24, 957–967, 1994.
Beumont P., Arthur B., Russell J.D., Touyz S.W.: Excessive physical activity in dieting disorder patients: proposals for a supervised exercise program. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 15, 21–36, 1994.
Thien V., Thomas A., Markin D., Birmingham C.L.: Pilot study of a graded exercise program for anorexia nervosa. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 28, 101–106, 2000.
Michielli D.W., Dunbar C.C., Kalinski M.I.: Is exercise indicated for the patient diagnosed as anorectic? J. Psychosoc. Nurs., 32, 33–35, 1994.
Fleck S., Kraemer W.: Resistance training: physiological responses and adaptations. Phys. Sports Med., 16, 108–124, 1988.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
Garner D.M., Olmsted M.P., Bohr Y., Garfinkel P.E.: The Eating Attitudes Test: psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol. Med., 12, 871–878, 1982.
Buddeberg-Fischer B., Bernet R., Sieber M., Schmid J., Buddeberg C.: Epidemiology of eating behaviour and weight distribution in 14- to 19-year-old Swiss students. Acta Psychiatr. Scand., 93, 296–304, 1996.
Beumont P., Al-Alami M., Touyz S.: Relevance of a standard measurement of undernutrition to the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa: use of Quetelet’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Int. J. Eat. Disord., 7, 399–405, 1988.
Szabo C.P., Terre Blanche M.J.: Hospitalized anorexics — a preliminary evaluation of an inpatient programme. S. Afr. Med. J., 88, 312–318, 1998.
Garner D.M., Olmsted M.P., Polivy J.: Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 2, 15–34, 1983.
Beck A.T., Ward C.H., Mendelson M., Mock J., Erbaugh J.: An inventory for measuring depression. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry, 4, 561–571, 1961.
Yuhasz M.S.: Physical fitness manual. University of Western Ontario, Canada, 1974.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Szabo, C.P., Green, K. Hospitalized anorexics and resistance training: Impact on body composition and psychological well-being. A preliminary study. Eat Weight Disord 7, 293–297 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324975
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324975