Last month we were contacted by Lilo Bean, an undergraduate at Bowdoin College, to inform readers about her research project. Bean and a faculty adviser are collecting data from an anonymous survey to investigate eating disorders in cross-country skiing. The survey is open to those 18 and older and is linked below. This study is being conducted by Lilo Bean, a student at Bowdoin College. The Faculty Advisor for this study is Professor Crystal Hall of the Digital and Computational Studies Department at Bowdoin College.
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Eating disorders have gained a lot of attention in the skiing community in recent years, instigated largely in part by Olympic champion Jessie Diggins openly talking about her struggle with an eating disorder.
It’s unsurprising that in a sport like skiing, where athletes’ bodies are on display and a focus of high performance, that disordered eating is common (population study of Norwegian adolescent cross-country skiers & disordered eating). However, there is still a lot still unknown about the why, how, and what of eating disorders in skiing.
Under the Digital and Computational Studies (DCS) Department, we (Lilo Bean under the guidance of Professor Crystal Hall) are conducting an independent study to examine the prevalence of eating disorders/disordered eating in nordic skiing. Digital and computational methods and analysis are creating the ability and opportunity to address new questions and data sets, and adding new perspectives to the core questions that have always concerned the humanities, social sciences, and natural & physical sciences. Using data analysis tools, DCS enables us to uncover new findings and meaning — within texts, news media, or social media — that would otherwise have remained hidden.
We are asking if you would take about 15 minutes to complete a survey for this research project. Participation is completely voluntary and your answers will be anonymous.
If you are interested, please click on the link for the survey and additional information: Survey link.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact lbean@bowdoin.edu. Thank you for consideration,
Lilo Bean
Undergraduate at Bowdoin College
