How can I get involved?

We want to extend a HUGE thank you to the 230+ current and former athletes who participated in the ASPIRE project! We are not currently recruiting any further athletes at this time; however, there are still ways that you can get involved.

1. Follow us on social media to get updates about the study, our findings, and how they are making an impact in sporting organisations and networks! IG: @the_aspire_study (opens in a new window)| Twitter/X: @ASPIRE_WSU (opens in a new window)
2. Read and share the findings which have already been published. They are all available for free access:
   1. Learn more about what athletes “say” about disordered eating and body image (opens in a new window)
   2. Learn more about which athletes are at risk for disordered eating and body image concerns, and why (opens in a new window)
   3. Initial findings from the ASPIRE study (opens in a new window)
   4. Learn more about how disordered eating can best be measured in high performance athletes (opens in a new window)
3. If you wanted more information about the study or if you wanted to share more about your experiences as an elite athlete please, reach out to our research team via email: aspire@westernsydney.edu.au aspire@westernsydney.edu.au.

What comes next?

There is still a lot left for the ASPIRE project:

1. Finalising the findings. We are still writing up the final results from ASPIRE and we will share them as soon as they become publicly available. Make sure to follow us on social media to keep up to date with findings as they come out: IG: @the_aspire_study (opens in a new window)| Twitter/X: @ASPIRE_WSU (opens in a new window)
2. Shaping the way we address disordered eating and body image concerns in high performance athletes. Scott Fatt, the research lead for ASPIRE, is collaborating with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to ensure that the findings lead to improvements in how we support athletes in their relationships with their bodies, eating, and exercise. This includes:
   1. Refining resources for the AIS Disordered Eating Initiative (opens in a new window), such as the eating disorder workshops targeting athletes and all role holders within the high performance sport system.
   2. Updating the AIS/National Eating Disorder Collaboration position statement on disordered eating in high performance sport.
   3. Presenting the findings to more than 15 high performance sports organisations in Australia and internationally.
   4. Ongoing consultation with lead sports dietitians from NSO/NINs across Australia.

If you have ideas for ways that the ASPIRE findings can make an impact in your sports community, please reach out to the ASPIRE team at aspire@westernsydney.edu.au.

Meet the team

Find out more about the team

Scott Fatt Scott is a PhD researcher at the Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University and a clinical psychologist. His interests include understanding how body image, and extreme eating and exercise behaviours impact on individuals, and the balance of optimal health and performance.
Dr Deborah Mitchison Deborah is a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University and a clinical psychologist. Her research is directed at reducing the burden of eating disorders and associated body image problems within the population.
Prof. Phillipa Hay Phillipa is a Professor of Mental Health at the Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University and a Psychiatrist. She is recognised internationally for her expertise in reducing the personal and public health burden of eating disorders and obesity.
A/Prof. Emma George Emma is an Associate Professor at the Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University. With a background in physical activity and health promotion, her research aims to promote lifelong physical activity and improve health outcomes.
Nikki Jeacocke Nikki is a Senior Sports Dietitian and the Disordered Eating Project Lead at the Australian Institute of Sport.  She has worked extensively in high performance sport and has specialist expertise working with athletes and organisations in the prevention, early identification and management of disordered eating and eating disorders.