American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

 Issue: Nov/Dec 2006

Achieving the Perfect Body: Nutritional Behaviors of Nonprofessional, Regional Female Dancers
Brenda Griner, Barbara L. Michiels Hernandez, George Strickland, & Douglas Boatwright

Abstract:
For female students and professional dancers, dance imposes a low body-weight image. Despite high energy needs, many female dancers consume fewer nutrients than recommended when they perceive themselves as overweight. These abnormal behaviors can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and vitamin deficiencies, or even to medical problems such as eating disorders, menstrual irregularities, musculoskeletal injuries, and overuse syndrome. This article shows how education, screening, fitness testing, and health-risk assessment can be incorporated into dance programs to help identify at-risk dancers and to structure appropriate training programs that will help dancers achieve lean bodies while still eating healthy, and develop a positive attitude toward nutrition without incorporating health-risk factors.

Article category: Dance