Eating Behavior, Body Appreciation, and Sleep Quality in Italian Blind Baseball Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Survey

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Visual impairment is associated with poor sleep quality, psychological distress, and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Adapted sports, such as blind baseball (BXC), may help promote healthy lifestyles and overall well-being. However, evidence regarding eating behavior, sleep quality, body appreciation, and lifestyle habits among regular BXC players remains scarce. This cross-sectional study provides an exploratory multidimensional characterization of these domains in competitive Italian BXC athletes according to sport participation and visual impairment characteristics, comparing findings descriptively with normative data from the Italian general population. Methods: Fifty-three competitive Italian BXC players (mean age 39.3 ± 13.1 years; representing a response rate of 49.1% of the national league) completed an anonymous online survey assessing eating behavior (Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire, AEBQ), body appreciation (Body Appreciation Scale-2, BAS-2), sleep quality (Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, B-PSQI), and lifestyle habits. Group differences were assessed using chi-square tests for categorical variables and Mann–Whitney U tests for continuous variables, reporting medians, interquartile ranges, effect sizes (rank-biserial r), and 95% confidence intervals. Results: BXC athletes demonstrated BMI, sleep quality, eating behavior, and body appreciation profiles comparable to those of the Italian general population. BAS-2 scores were high (3.7–3.8), while B-PSQI scores (4.0–5.6) and the proportion of poor sleepers (~40%) remained within normative ranges despite visual impairment. Eating behavior showed no significant dysregulation. However, in exploratory subgroup analyses, multisport athletes displayed lower Satiety Responsiveness than BXC-only athletes (2.30 ± 0.79 vs. 2.78 ± 0.71; p = 0.02), poorer sleep quality (B-PSQI: 6.05 ± 3.12 vs. 4.70 ± 3.73; p = 0.05), and a higher prevalence of poor sleep (55.0% vs. 30.3%). Athletes with acquired visual impairment showed higher Emotional Overeating and Emotional Undereating scores than those with congenital impairment, although these differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: BXC athletes displayed an overall favorable lifestyle profile. Though the cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences, these exploratory findings indicate that participation in BXC is compatible with healthy lifestyle habits and positive body appreciation, hence supporting adapted team sports as an inclusive framework for multidimensional health promotion. Future studies using objective physiological assessments and longitudinal designs are needed to clarify dose–response relationships and long-term health outcomes.