Preliminary Evaluation of Self-Reported Training Volume as an Adjunct Measure of Female Athlete Triad Risk in Division 1 Collegiate Female Runners

• Published in: Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology 2024-09, Vol.9 (4), p.179
• Main Authors: Parnell, Sarah, Graybeal, Austin J, Renna, Megan E, Stavres, Jon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: athlete; Athletes; College sports; Eating behavior; energy availability; Exercise; exercise volume; Females; RED-S; Running; Sports associations; Surveys; Track & field; Training; Weight training; women
• ISSN: 2411-5142; 2411-5142
• DOI: 10.3390/jfmk9040179

: This study tested whether self-reported training volume is predictive of female athlete triad risk collected using an established twelve-question triad screening tool in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) collegiate female runners. : A total of 319 institutions were initially contacted, seven of which agreed to distribute surveys to their female cross-country and track and field athletes. A total of 41 of 149 respondents completed the survey and met all inclusion criteria. Linear and binomial logistic regressions examined the relationships between self-reported training volumes and estimated triad risk. Independent samples -tests were also used to compare training volumes across the high (> 50th percentile for risk factor counts) vs. low-risk groups. : Total weekly competition and conditioning resistance training hours were associated with the total number of triad risk factors ( = 0.044) and were also predictive of the triad risk group ( = 0.037). Likewise, both competition and conditioning resistance training hours ( = 0.034) were higher in the high-risk group versus the low-risk group. : These findings suggest that self-reported resistance training volume is predictive of triad risk, but additional research is required to determine if monitoring training volume can provide valuable, real-time assessments of triad risk in DI collegiate female runners.