Volume 88, Issue 5 , Pages 681-682, May 2007
Prevalence of Female Athlete Triad Characteristics in a Club Triathlon Team
Abstract
Hoch AZ, Stavrakos JE, Schimke JE. Prevalence of female athlete triad characteristics in a club triathlon team.
Objective
To determine the prevalence of the female athlete triad in club triathletes.
Design
Cross-sectional.
Setting
Academic medical center in the midwestern United States.
Participants
Fifteen women (mean age, 35±6y).
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Disordered eating and menstrual status were determined by questionnaires. Energy status was determined by a 3-day food record, resting energy expenditure, and exercise energy output. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in the total left hip and lumbar spine (L2-4) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.
Results
Sixty percent of the triathletes were found to be in calorie deficit, 53% had a carbohydrate deficit, 47% had a fat deficit, 40% had a protein deficit, and 33% had a calcium deficit. Forty percent of triathletes reported a history of amenorrhea. BMD was normal in the lumbar spine (L2-4) (1.3±0.1g/cm2) and total left hip (1.1±0.1g/cm2).
Conclusions
Triathletes are at risk for components of the female athlete triad. Continued efforts need to be directed at prevention through education of athletes, coaches, parents, and health care professionals.
Key Words: Amenorrhea, Athletics, Eating disorders, Female, Rehabilitation
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.
PII: S0003-9993(07)00172-4
doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2007.02.035
© 2007 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Volume 88, Issue 5 , Pages 681-682, May 2007
