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Table 4 Quotes for theme related to PA programming thoughts

From: Physical activity behaviors and attitudes among women with an eating disorder: a qualitative study

Theme

Quotes

PA programming thoughts

Julie (bulimia nervosa): “Individuality, not necessarily in an ED but just in terms of people’s preferences for the PA they do. People will always have things that they prefer.”

Isabelle (other specified feeding or ED): “I think that, in general, things that are personalised for people are always more helpful because it’s based on you instead of based on the general demographic.

Sarah (anorexia nervosa): “I would try to keep it looser. I guess it would be pretty similar to what I’m doing now just because that’s where my goals are and that’s where I’m able to maintain it.

Maude (anorexia nervosa): “Everyone who has an ED is just so so different. So, what might be particularly helpful for someone is probably not going to be helpful for another person.”

Teresa (anorexia nervosa): “Everybody’s intentions are different and you can’t group all people with an ED into one basket and say ‘Hey, this is your exercise program’ because one person has an exercise compulsion and one hasn’t, and one person is going to hate exercise no matter what and somebody is going to like it. So, it’s got to be different. I think that there’s going to be more commonalities between the ED subtypes, but I do still think an individual program is a lot more conducive to healing. […] I think a big part of it is trying to change the mindset from doing PA because you feel like you have to to because you want to and you enjoy it so finding things that are fun to do. […] More leisurely things focused more on actually enjoying it and having fun and finding pleasure out of it.

Teresa (anorexia nervosa): “I would hate that. I would never want to be in an environment where I’m exercising with a bunch of other people who have EDs, especially in a class like setting. It would be quite the train wreck.

Sarah (anorexia nervosa): “Every time you have a bunch of people with an ED in a room together it’s already a little bit of tension. […] There’s competitiveness there because of the competitiveness and the comparisons.”

Donna (anorexia nervosa): “It would be pretty triggering to see people who are smaller than me or workout more than me. Just because you’re always so competitive and you want to be the smallest one.

Julie (bulimia nervosa): “I do like an environment where it’s not a very competitive thing or where you’re not comparing yourself against others. For me, that’s something that’s important.

Diane (binge ED): “I would want it to be a group that is very inclusive that accepts that we all have different abilities and that were all different on a given day and all different from each other. If I was going to do it with other people, I would really want it to be inclusive and accepting essentially.

  1. Notes. ED Eating disorder, PA Physical activity