RECOGNISING AND RESPONDING TO DISORDERED EATING IN SPORT AND FITNESS SETTINGS
A recent UK qualitative study — Detecting Disordered Eating among Recreational Exercisers: Exploring the Role of Personal Trainers (Loughborough University) — revealed an important gap in the sport and fitness industry:
Many trainers acknowledged a duty of care towards their clients, but few felt equipped or confident to address disordered eating.
Trainers reported needing greater support from employers and professional bodies, and all participants welcomed the provision of clear guidelines.
Several also expressed concerns about exacerbating the problem when raising sensitive issues around food and exercise.
We are offering a free, NHS-funded training, to provide sport and fitness professionals with the confidence, knowledge, and language to respond safely and effectively to individuals who may be showing signs of disordered eating, body image concerns, or exercise-related compulsions.
By the end of this 90-minute, in-person or online session, attendees will:
Understand how disordered eating can manifest in sport and fitness contexts (e.g., restrictive eating, compulsive exercise, body image preoccupation)
Recognise the physical and psychological risks associated with these behaviours
Explore how language and culture in sport can unintentionally reinforce disordered
thinking (“clean eating,” “optimal performance,” etc.)
Develop sensitive communication skills to approach clients with care and avoid doing harm
Know how to signpost individuals to SYEDA’s services or other professional support
This training is designed for course leaders, tutors, and managers within the sport and fitness sector who can cascade their learning throughout their organisation — helping to build a culture of awareness and safeguarding across the industry. Furthermore, our cascade training approach will equip you with the resources—including a resource pack, awareness materials, and referral pathways—to train your wider team and new employees.
Additional Information:
Includes interactive discussion, Q&A, and practical tools
Post-training toolkit provided — including resources, referral pathways, and
awareness materials to share with your wider team
This training is fully funded by the NHS, meaning there is no cost for your organisation to attend.
To book your session, contact:
Email: sophieo@syeda.org.uk and kirstya@syeda.org.uk
For an insight into some of the topics we may discuss as part of this training, you can listen to the podcast episode linked to below, where we sat down for a hour with Brad and Ryan from the ‘Fit Dads Podcast’.
