Clinical Trial

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of the HADAS Program for the Prevention of Eating Disorders in Adolescent Female Athletes, Coaches, and Families.

Study acronym: The HADAS
Not Yet Recruiting
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Summary
Adolescent female athletes in aesthetic sports disciplines (such as rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and figure skating) face a complex interaction between general sociocultural beauty pressures and sport-specific aesthetic demands (e.g., the 'slim to win' culture and weight-focused performance expectations). These combined pressures significantly increase their risk of developing body dissatisfaction and eating disorders (EDs). To address these systemic vulnerabilities, the HADAS Program (Habits, Eating, Sports, Adolescents, and Health) was developed as a multi-level, synchronized psychoeducational intervention designed to target the complete "sports triangle": adolescent female athletes, their technical coaches, and their immediate family members. The primary objective of this cluster randomized controlled trial (cluster RCT) is to evaluate the efficacy of the HADAS Program in reducing eating disorder risk (EAT-26) and body image dissatisfaction (BSQ-34) among competitive adolescent female athletes aged 12 to 16 years. Sports clubs are randomly assigned to either the Experimental Group (receiving the HADAS intervention) or a Waitlist Control Group (maintaining standard training). The program includes 5 interactive group sessions for athletes, 4 reflective workshops for coaches, and 2 structured sessions for family members, all supported by cohort-specific workbooks. Outcomes are evaluated across four longitudinal time points: Baseline (T0), Immediate Post-intervention (T1), 6-month Follow-up (T2), and 12-month Follow-up (T3).
Trial Details
NCT Number NCT07750301
Lead Sponsor Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche
Conditions Eating Disorders, Body Image Dissatisfaction
Enrollment 236 participants
Start Date 2026-10
Primary Completion 2028-10 (estimated)
Study Completion 2029-05 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov 2026-08-06