A Potential Screening Tool for Nutritional Preparedness in Collegiate Level Female Athletes: A Pilot study

Briana Toews, Patricia K. Doyle-Baker

Abstract


Background: Diet monitoring is part of an athlete’s health and performance assessment, and adequate nutrition is known to be a method that can positively influence the reduction in exercise-induced injury. However, the concept of nutritional preparedness as a screening tool to identify low energy availability for the competitive season is not mainstream practise. Objectives: Our pilot study investigated three aims: 1) changes to nutritional status from the pre-competition phase to the competition phase, 2) living status impact on athlete’s food accessibility, and 3) whether nutritional preparedness in the pre-competition phase influenced the potential for low energy availability during the competition phase. Methods: Female volleyball athletes (N=21, 19-22 yrs., 80% lived off campus) were recruited from 3 universities (Ambrose, Calgary, New Brunswick- Saint John) through social media sites, and word of mouth. Two cross-sectional questionnaires (questions derived from the Short Food Frequency-Q, LEAF-Q, and RED-S screening tool-Q) were administered prior to and during the competitive season. Results: The nutritional assessment score significantly decreased from the pre-competition to competition phase, respectively (n=20, 26.11 ± 4.25; n=12, 20.64 ± 4.74; p=0.022). Many athletes (6/12) reported an injury during the competitive season with an average time loss from sport of 8-14 days. Conclusions: These findings suggest that collegiate female volleyball athletes have a potential for low energy availability, regardless of living status. Future research should build on the nutritional preparedness concept as a method of screening for low energy availability and the influence on injuries sustained during the competition phase.

Keywords


Nutritional Status, Energy Deficiency, Female, Athletes, Volleyball

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ackerman, K.E., Holtzman, B., Cooper, K.M., Flynn, E.F., Bruinvels, G., Tenforde, A.S., Popp, KL., Simpkin A.J., Parziale, A.L. (2019, May). Low energy availability surrogates correlate with health and performance consequences of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(10):628-633. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-098958.

Anderson, D.E. (2010). The impact of feedback on dietary intake and body composition of college women volleyball players over a competitive season. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(8), 2220-2226. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181def6b

Beals, K.A. (2002). Eating behaviors, nutritional status, and menstrual function in elite female adolescent volleyball players. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 102(9), 1293-1296.

Bompa, T., & Haff, G. (2009). Periodization theory and methodology of training (5th ed.). Human Kinetics Champaign, IL: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

Brace, A.M., De Andrade, F.C., & Finkelstein, B. (2018). Assessing the effectiveness of nutrition interventions implemented among US college students to promote healthy behaviors: a systematic review. Nutrition and Health, 24(3), 171-181. doi: 10.1177/0260106018785528

Burke L.M., Hawley J.A., Jeukendrup A., Morton J.P., Stellingwerff T., Maughan R.J. (2018). Toward a common understanding of diet-exercise strategies to manipulate fuel availability for training and competition preparation in endurance sport. International Journal of Sport Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism, 8 451–463. 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0289

Cabre, H.E., Moore, S.R., Smith-Ryan, A.E., & Hackney, A.C. (2022). Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): Scientific, Clinical, and Practical Implications for the Female Athlete. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin/German Journal of Sports Medicine, 73(7), 225. doi: 10.5960/dzsm.2022.546

Close, G.L., Hamilton, D.L., Philp, A., Burke, L.M., & Morton, J.P. (2016). New strategies in sport nutrition to increase exercise performance. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 98, 144-158.

Davelaar, C.M.F., Ostrom, M., Schulz, J., Trane, K., Wolkin, A., & Granger, J. (2020). Validation of an age-appropriate screening tool for Female Athlete Triad and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport in young athletes. Cureus, 12(6):e8579. doi: 10.7759/cureus.8579

De Souza, M.J., Koltun, K.J., & Williams, N.I. (2019). The role of energy availability in reproductive function in the female athlete triad and extension of its effects to men: an initial working model of a similar syndrome in male athletes. Sports Medicine, 49(Suppl 2), 125-137. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01217-3

Dijkstra, H.P., Pollock, N., Chakraverty, R., & Alonso, J. (2014). Managing the health of the elite athlete: a new integrated performance health management and coaching model. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(7), 523-531. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-093222

Hassapidou, M. (2001). Dietary assessment of five male sports teams in Greece. Nutrition & Food Science, 31(1), 31-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650110362571

Heaton, L.E., Davis, J.K., Rawson, E.S., Nuccio, R.P., Witard, O.C., Stein, K.W., ... & Baker, L.B. (2017). Selected in-season nutritional strategies to enhance recovery for team sport athletes: a practical overview. Sports Medicine, 47, 2201-2218. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0759-2.

Heikura, I.A., Stellingwerff, T., & Areta, J.L. (2022). Low energy availability in female athletes: From the lab to the field. European Journal of Sport Science, 22(5), 709-719. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2021.1915391.

Jagim, A.R., Fields, J., Magee, M.K., Kerksick, C.M., & Jones, M.T. (2022). Contributing factors to low energy availability in female athletes: A narrative review of energy availability, training demands, nutrition barriers, body image, and disordered eating. Nutrients, 14(5), 986. doi: 10.3390/nu14050986

Julious, S.A. (2005). Sample size of 12 per group rule of thumb for a pilot study. Pharmaceutical Statistics. 4:287–91. https://doi.org/10.1002/pst.185

Kobayashi, S., Asakura, K., Suga, H., & Sasaki, S. (2017). Living status and frequency of eating out-of-home foods in relation to nutritional adequacy in 4,017 Japanese female dietetic students aged 18–20 years: A multicenter cross-sectional study. Journal of Epidemiology, 27(6), 287-293. doi: 10.1016/j.je.2016.07.002.

Levin, K.A. (2006). Study design III: Cross-sectional studies. Evidence-Based Dentistry, 7(1), 24-25.

Logue, D., Madigan, S.M., Delahunt, E., Heinen, M., Mc Donnell, S.J., & Corish, C.A. (2018). Low energy availability in athletes: a review of prevalence, dietary patterns, physiological health, and sports performance. Sports Medicine, 48, 73-96. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0790-3.

Manore, M.M., Kam, L.C., & Loucks, A.B. (2007). The female athlete triad: components, nutrition issues, and health consequences. Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(S1), S61-S71. doi: 10.1080/02640410701607320

Malsagova, K.A., Kopylov, A.T., Sinitsyna, A.A., Stepanov, A.A., Izotov, A.A., Butkova, T.V., Chingin, K., Klyuchnikov, M.S., Kaysheva, A.L. (2021). Sports Nutrition: Diets, Selection Factors, Recommendations. Nutrients, 13, 3771. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/nu13113771

Melin, A., Tornberg, Å.B., Skouby, S., Faber, J., Ritz, C., Sjödin, A., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2014). The LEAF- questionnaire: a screening tool for the identification of female athletes at risk for the female athlete triad. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(7), 540-545. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-093240.

Mielgo-Ayuso, J., Zourdos, M.C., Calleja-González, J., Urdampilleta, A., & Ostojic, S.M. (2015). Dietary intake habits and controlled training on body composition and strength in elite female volleyball players during the season. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 40(8), 827-834. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0100

Mountjoy, M., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Burke, L., Carter, S., Constantini, N., Lebrun, C., ... & Ackerman, K. (2015). The IOC relative energy deficiency in sport clinical assessment tool (RED-S CAT). British Journal of Sports Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-094873

Mountjoy, M., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Burke, L., Ackerman, K.E., Blauwet, C., Constantini, N., ... & Budgett, R. (2018). International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S): 2018 up-date. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 28(4), 316-331. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099193

Mujika I., Halson S., Burke L.M., Balague, G., Farrow D. (2018). An integrated, multifactorial approach to periodization for optimal performance in individual and team sports. International Journal of Sport Physiology Performance, 13 538–561. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0093

Mukherjee, M.S., Sukumaran, S., Delaney, C.L., & Miller, M.D. (2021). Validation of a short food frequency questionnaire to measure dietary intake of a selection of micronutrients in oncology patients undergoing systemic therapy. Nutrients, 13(12), 4557. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124557 .

Munoz, N., Posthauer, M.E., Cereda, E., Schols, J. M., & Haesler, E. (2020). The role of nutrition for pressure injury prevention and healing: the 2019 international clinical practice guideline recommendations. Advances in Skin & Wound Care, 33(3), 123-136. doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASW.0000653144.90739.ad .

Papadopoulou, S.K., Papadopoulou, S.D., & Gallos, G.K. (2002). Macro-and micro-nutrient intake of adolescent Greek female volleyball players. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 12(1), 73-80. doi: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.12.1.73

Sesbreno, E., Dziedzic, C.E., Sygo, J., Blondin, D P., Haman, F., Leclerc, S., ... & Mountjoy, M. (2021). Elite male volleyball players are at risk of insufficient energy and carbohydrate intake. Nutrients, 13(5), 1435. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051435

Sim, A., & Burns, S.F. (2021). questionnaires as measures for low energy availability and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) in athletes. Journal of Eating Disorders, 9(1), 1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-021-00396-7 .

Slavin, J.L. (1991). Assessing athletes' nutritional status: Making it part of the sports medicine physical. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 19(11), 79-94.

Sole, C., Kavanaugh, A., & Stone, M. (2017). Injuries in Collegiate Women’s Volleyball: A Four-Year Retrospective Analysis. Sports, 5(2), 26. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/sports5020026

Solly, H., Badenhorst, C.E., McCauley, M., Slater, G.J., Gifford, J.A., Erueti, B., Beck, K.L. (2023, May). Athlete Preferences for Nutrition Education: Development of and Findings from a Quantitative Survey. Nutrients, 15(11):2519. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112519 .

Spendlove, J.K., Heaney, S.E., Gifford, J.A., Prvan, T., Denyer, G.S., O’Connor, H.T. (2011). Evaluation of general nutrition knowledge in elite Australian athletes. British Journal of Nutrition, 107, 1871–1880. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114511005125

Stellingwerff, T., Morton, J.P., Burke, L.M. (2019, Mar. 1). A Framework for Periodized Nutrition for Athletics. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 29(2):141-151. doi: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0305 .

Tarnopolsky, M.A., Zawada, C., Richmond, L.B., Carter, S., Shearer, J., Graham, T., & Phillips, S.M. (2001). Gender differences in carbohydrate loading are related to energy intake. Journal of Applied Physiology, 91(1), 225-230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.2001.91.1.225

Thomas, D.T., Erdman, K.A., & Burke, L.M. (2016, Mar.). American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine Science Sports and Exercise, 48(3):543-68. doi: https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852

Tipton, K.D. (2015). Nutritional Support for Exercise-Induced Injuries. In Sports Medicine (Vol. 45, pp. 93–104). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0398-4

Wasserfurth, P., Palmowski, J., Hahn, A. Krüger, K. (2020). Reasons for and Consequences of Low Energy Availability in Female and Male Athletes: Social Environment, Adaptations, and Prevention. Sports Medicine – Open, 6, 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-020-00275-6

Wohlgemuth, K.J., Arieta, L.R., Brewer, GJ., Hoselton, A.L., Gould, L.M., & Smith-Ryan, A.E. (2021). Sex differences and considerations for female specific nutritional strategies: a narrative review. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00422-8 .




DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.11n.3p.46

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

2013-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.

International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science

You may require to add the 'aiac.org.au' domain to your e-mail 'safe list’ If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox'. Otherwise, you may check your 'Spam mail' or 'junk mail' folders.