Awareness and comfort in treating the Female Athlete Triad: are we failing our athletes?
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BACKGROUND: Recognition of the Female Athlete Triad (disordered eating, amenorrhea, osteoporosis) has increased significantly since it was defined in 1992 by the American College of Sports Medicine. However, knowledge and treatment of the Female Athlete Triad is still lacking among physicians and medical personnel. PURPOSE: We surveyed physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and coaches to determine their knowledge and comfort in treating the Female Athlete Triad. METHODS: A questionnaire was submitted to 240 health care professionals (physicians, medical students, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and coaches) in a metropolitan city. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of physicians, 43% of physical therapists, 38% of athletic trainers, 32% of medical students, and 8% of coaches were able to identify all 3 components of the Female Athlete Triad. When physicians were subdivided into specialties, 69% of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, 63% of orthopaedic surgeons, 53% of family physicians, 36% of pediatricians, and 17% of gynecologists were able to identify all 3 components of the Female Athlete Triad. Only 9% of physicians felt comfortable treating the Female Athlete Triad. When physicians were subdivided into specialties, 17% of orthopaedic surgeons, 13% of family practitioners, 12% of PM&R physicians, and 4% of pediatricians felt comfortable with treatment programs. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that a heightened level of awareness and education in the proper treatment of the Female Athlete Triad is needed. (+info)
The female football player, disordered eating, menstrual function and bone health.
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Most female football players are healthy. However, recent findings from our studies on Norwegian female elite athletes also show that football players are dieting and experiencing eating disorders, menstrual dysfunction and stress fractures. Dieting behaviour and lack of knowledge of the energy needs of the athlete often leads to energy deficit, menstrual dysfunction and increased risk of bone mass loss. Although dieting, eating disorders and menstrual dysfunction are less common than in many other sports, it is important to be aware of the problem as eating disorders in female athletes can easily be missed. Therefore, individuals, including the players themselves, coaches, administrators and family members, who are involved in competitive football, should be educated about the three interrelated components of the female athlete triad (disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction and low bone mass), and strategies should be developed to prevent, recognise and treat the triad components. (+info)
Modified activity-stress paradigm in an animal model of the female athlete triad.
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The exercising woman with nutritional deficits and related menstrual irregularities is at risk of compromising long-term bone health, i.e., the female athlete triad. There is no animal model of the female athlete triad. The purpose of this study was to examine long-term energy restriction in voluntary wheel-running female rats on estrous cycling, bone mineral content, and leptin levels. Twelve female Sprague-Dawley rats (age 34 days) were fed ad libitum and given access to running wheels during an initial 14-wk period, providing baseline and age-related data. Daily collection included dietary intake, body weight, estrous cycling, and voluntary running distance. At 4 mo, rats were randomized into two groups, six restrict-fed rats (70% of ad libitum intake) and six rats continuing as ad libitum-fed controls. Energy intake, energy expenditure, and energy availability (energy intake - energy expenditure) were calculated for each animal. Serum estradiol and leptin concentrations were measured by RIA. Femoral and tibial bone mineral density and bone mineral content (BMC) were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Restrict-fed rats exhibited a decrease in energy availability during Weight Loss and Anestrous phases (P = 0.002). Compared with controls after 12 wk, restrict-fed rats showed reduced concentrations of serum estradiol (P = 0.002) and leptin (P = 0.002), lower ovarian weight (P = 0.002), and decreased femoral (P = 0.041) and tibial (P = 0.05) BMC. Decreased energy availability resulted in anestrus and significant decreases in BMC, estrogen and leptin levels, and body weight. Finally, there is a critical level of energy availability to maintain estrous cycling. (+info)
National athletic trainers' association position statement: preventing, detecting, and managing disordered eating in athletes.
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The female athlete triad among elite Malaysian athletes: prevalence and associated factors.
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Women participating in a wide range of competitive sports are at higher risk of developing eating disorders, menstrual irregularities and osteoporosis, which are generally referred to as the 'female athlete triad'. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of female athlete triad and factors associated with this condition among athletes participating in different sports. A total of 67 elite female athletes aged between 13-30 years participated in the study and were subdivided into the 'leanness' and 'non-leanness' groups. Eating disorders were assessed using a body image figure rating and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) with body dissatisfaction (BD), drive for thinness (DT), bulimia (B) and perfectionism (P) subscales. Menstrual irregularity was assessed with a self-reported menstrual history questionnaire. Bone quality was measured using a quantitative ultrasound device at one-third distal radius. Prevalence of the female athlete triad was low (1.9%), but the prevalence for individual triad component was high, especially in the leanness group. The prevalence of subjects who were at risk of menstrual irregularity, poor bone quality and eating disorders were 47.6%, 13.3% and 89.2%, respectively, in the leanness group; and 14.3%, 8.3% and 89.2%, respectively, in the non-leanness group. Since the components of the triad are interrelated, identification of athletes at risk of having any one component of the triad, especially those participating in sports that emphasise a lean physique, is an important aid for further diagnosis. (+info)
Prevalence of the female athlete triad in high school athletes and sedentary students.
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