Introduction |
Review of Literature |
Menstrual irregularity happens as a result of low energy availability, which then causes low bone mineral density due to low estrogen levels.
Just one component puts female athletes at higher risk for musculoskeletal injury. HypothesisAthletes with a high amount of sports related injuries will have very low knowledge levels of the Female Athlete Triad.
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Year round participation in structured weight bearing sports during early adolescence might help young girls enhance bone health.
Nichols, Jeanne F., Rauh, Mitchell J., Barkai, Hava-Shoshana, Lawson, Manda J., Levy, Susan S. “Influence of sports participation and Menarche on bone mineral density of female high school athletes.” Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2007, 10, 170-179. Calcium and Vitamin D intakes were found to reduce stress fractures among female navy recruits by twenty percent. Nieves, Jeri W., et al. "Nutritional Factors That Influence Change in Bone Density and Stress Fracture Risk among Young Female Cross-Country Runners." American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2 (2010): n. pag. Print. |
MethodologyAthletes participated in soccer, basketball, track and field, or cross country.
Athletes completed a survey with questions regarding their knowledge of the components of the triad, recorded their sports related injuries, and completed a 3 day food diary for their serving sizes of fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and non-fat dairy products. An educational pamphlet was then distributed. The survey and 3 day food diary were completed again for comparison. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Question 2 tested knowledge of menstrual irregularity and its relationship to the Female Athlete Triad.
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ResultsFinal sample size: 33
Average age of 15.48 Soccer: 17 (52%) Basketball: 11 (33%) Track: 3 (9%) Cross country: 2 (6%) 25 athletes had 0-2 sports related injuries 6 athletes had 3-5 sports related injuries 1 athlete had 6-8 sports related injuries 1 athlete had over 9 sports related injuries Due to the lack of returned food diaries that portion and the educational portion were omitted from the study, the only comparisons to be made were knowledge vs. sport and knowledge vs. injury history. Question 3 tested knowledge about the relationship between bone mineral density and the Female Athlete Triad
Question 4 tested knowledge of the definition of low energy availability.
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Conclusion |
Discussion |
Soccer players had the most correct responses.
Low knowledge levels were indicated for the overall population. Athletes with higher knowledge levels had fewer injuries. |
Something as simple as informing athletes of the dangers of the triad can prevent many injuries and participation time lost, and save money spent on physical recovery.
A quick way to address the issue of knowledge would be educating coaches, who would then assess the knowledge of their athletes at the beginning of the season. Some limitations included:
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