This session employs a biopsychosocial framework to elaborate on the complex challenges impacting the health, nutritional behaviors, and sustained participation of young female athletes. The first presentation addresses the concerning decline in organized sport participation among young female athletes. It identifies key risk factors for dropout, including injuries, lack of competence, and poor coach/peer relationships, stressing the fundamental role of enjoyment in continued engagement. The second presentation details how puberty, hormonal shifts, and intense training intersect with body image pressures to create a critical period for insufficient energy availability and restrictive eating. This jeopardizes bone health, increases injury risk, and compromises psychological well-being. The final presentation argues that these problems constitute a systemic failure driven by a ‘male model’ of sport and gender-blind coaching. The proposed solution involves a decisive shift toward gender-transformative coaching and a need-supportive motivational climate. This includes replacing detrimental coaching behaviors with supportive actions, such as focusing on peer relatedness support to boost retention. The session concludes with an urgent call for interdisciplinary action to address the knowledge needs of athletes, coaches, and other key stakeholders, ultimately safeguarding health and maximizing the developmental potential and sustainable participation of young female athletes.
ECSS Paris 2023: IS-SH02
Children’s and adolescents’ participation in organized sports is associated with various positive health outcomes, both in the short term and the long term. It is, therefore, problematic that the participation rates decrease throughout adolescence. More specifically, recent data from Sweden indicate that participation rates decline from approximately 70% at the age of 10 to around 50% at the age of 15. Even if the shape of the trajectory is similar for females and males, the percentage of females participating in organized sport is lower. Therefore, to explore further why female adolescent athletes choose to continue or discontinue (i.e., drop out) in organized sport is critical for facilitating health and well-being in the population. Several studies have been conducted to identify risk factors for dropout, as well as factors that facilitate prolonged participation. In these studies, both physiological and psychosocial factors have been identified as essential variables. Injuries, perceived pressure, and lack of competence are commonly identified risk factors for dropout. Additionally, interpersonal relationships with coaches, peers, and parents are identified as risk factors in several studies. It has been suggested that all these factors negatively influence the perceived meaningfulness and enjoyment, which, in turn, inform the decision to drop out. The presentation will highlight recent studies focusing on the positive aspects of participation in organized sports. It will also focus on research aimed at studying risk factors for dropout among female children and adolescent athletes. Because enjoyment is a key factor for reducing dropout, the presentation will conclude with factors that young girls and female adolescent athletes have highlighted as factors making sports participation fun. To sum up, there are health benefits from participating in organized sports, but the participation rates decline. It is essential to focus on how stakeholders can mitigate the impact of specific risk factors that contribute to dropout in particular groups. Because enjoyment is a central factor for prolonged participation, stakeholders need to understand further what makes sport fun for young female athletes by involving them in the process.
Read CV Andreas IvarssonECSS Paris 2023: IS-SH02
Young female athletes face a unique constellation of biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial) challenges that shape their nutritional behaviors, health status, and performance potential. The intersection of puberty, athletic identity, and sociocultural expectations creates a critical period where nutritional adequacy is essential yet often compromised. From a biological perspective, growth, hormonal changes, and increased training demands elevate energy and nutrient requirements. However, insufficient energy availability, whether intentional or unintentional, remains prevalent, contributing to a spectrum of health and performance issues including impaired bone accrual and increased injury risk. Psychologically, pressures related to body image, self-perception, and performance expectations can promote restrictive eating or disordered eating behaviors, particularly in sports emphasizing leanness or aesthetic appearance. These behaviors not only jeopardize physiological functions but also diminish psychological resilience and motivation, which are factors critical for sustained athletic engagement. Social influences further exacerbate this vulnerability: peers, coaches, and social media often reinforce unrealistic body ideals, while limited nutritional literacy and inconsistent guidance from adults can hinder healthy dietary behaviors and choices. This presentation applies a biopsychosocial lens to examine how these interconnected domains influence nutritional behaviors and performance outcomes in young female athletes. Integrating current evidence from sport physiology, nutrition science, and behavioral psychology, it highlights the complex pathways through which inadequate nutrition may undermine both immediate training adaptation and long-term health, with emphasis on the importance of prevention. The presentation concludes by advocating for an interdisciplinary, female-athlete-centered framework that integrates sport medicine, dietetics, mental health, and coaching support. Such an approach recognizes that optimizing performance in young female athletes extend beyond physiological conditioning.
Read CV Anna MelinECSS Paris 2023: IS-SH02
The preceding presentations confirm that the problems facing adolescent and young female athletes, which manifest as disordered eating behaviors, a lack of perceived competence, and disproportionate dropout, stem from a systemic failure with individual-level consequences. The status quo relies on a ‘male model’ of sport, reinforced by coach discourses that are frequently gender-essentialist or gender-blind. This structural issue is compounded by the critical finding that young female athletes report low perceived knowledge and high knowledge needs across biopsychosocial and behavioral puberty-related topics. The resulting societal impact is evident, as European participation data shows female dropout is particularly acute between U14-U16, a trend amplified by negative coaching behaviors. Moving toward a sustainable future, this presentation mandates the adoption of an integrated biopsychosocial framework that actively protects the female athlete category. This framework must be underpinned by rigorous interdisciplinary research, thereby addressing the current research deficit in female sport. Central to this solution is a decisive shift toward gender-transformative coaching practices and need-supportive motivational climates. This shift’s efficacy relies on key interpersonal mechanisms, which highlights that the coach’s trust and reciprocity are essential for establishing a shared reality with the young female athlete, fostering honest communication and preventing ill-being. Importantly, successful interventions must recognize that personal factors, such as enjoyment, athletic competence, and perceived self-worth, are the most frequent predictors of female adolescent sport participation. Therefore, this translates practically into actively replacing detrimental coaching behaviors, including the controlling use of rewards shown to increase non-attendance, with supportive actions, such as focusing on post-practice peer relatedness support which consistently boosts short-term retention. Initiatives that successfully bridge the knowledge gap in female adolescent athlete development will be highlighted as excellent examples of prioritizing sustainable participation, health, and developmental potential. Moving forward, researchers must collectively target the urgent knowledge needs of young female athletes, including their coaches and parents, across all biopsychosocial domains. This approach will mitigate complex risk factors, foster sustained engagement, and ultimately maximize participation and optimize athletic development in female sport. The definitive call to action is to foster supportive environments that integrate balanced nutrition, psychological well-being, and sustainable participation. This biopsychosocial approach is essential for advancing research, prevention, and intervention strategies that safeguard the health and maximize the potential of the next generation of female athletes.
Read CV Bård Erlend SolstadECSS Paris 2023: IS-SH02