The female athlete triad in student track and field athletes

摘要

Objectives: To explore the female athlete triad components in university track and field athletes, as well as calculate estimated energyavailability.Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study design.Setting and subjects: Sixteen volunteer, white, female track and field athletes were recruited from North-West University.Outcome measures: Athletes completed a demographic, health and sport questionnaire; pathogenic body weight control questionnaire;menstrual history questionnaire; four 24-hour dietary recalls and one three-day diet and exercise record form. Body composition and bonemineral density (BMD) were assessed with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The bulimia, drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction subscalesof the Eating Disorder Inventory, and the cognitive dietary restraint subscale of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, was used to measuredisordered eating behaviour. Estimated energy availability was calculated using a three-day dietary and exercise record form completed bythe athlete on three heavy training days.Results: In the total group, 25% had menstrual pattern changes, 62.5% disordered eating behaviour, 73.3% (11/15) low estimated energyavailability, and 12.5% reported stress fractures during the past two years. The average estimated energy availability was 18.5 (14.1-40.9) kcal/kg fat-free mass/day. Diet or fat-burning pills were the most popular pathogenic weight-control measures used by 37.5% athletes. Athletes withmenstrual pattern changes had lower spine [1.043 (0.975-1.059) vs. 1.166 (1.090-1.234) g/cm2, p-value = 0.043] and femoral neck [0.905 ±0.045 vs. 1.025 ± 0.027 g/cm2, p-value = 0.042) BMD. Altogether, 87.5% athletes presented with various components of the Triad.Conclusion: More than two thirds of this group of student track and field athletes had low estimated energy availability and more than threequarters were classified with various combinations of the components of the female athlete triad