502. Epidemiology and Biostatistics - epidemiology of injury and illness Scientific Abstract

3852 - Describing Red-s Outcomes And Potential Risk Factors In A National Cohort Of Ncaa Di Female Cross Country Runners

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of self-reported Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) outcomes in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One (DI) female cross country runners, and to describe environmental risk factors for RED-S.METHODS: This sample is composed of a nationally representative random sample of NCAA Division One (DI) collegiate female cross-country runners from the ongoing Female Athlete Study of Health Trajectories (FASHT) cohort (N=152), with 133 complete respondents and 29 partial respondents. Randomly selected athletes were emailed a web-based survey, including demographic information, individual and environmental risk factors, and the 10 physical health outcomes of the RED-S model.RESULTS: Preliminary results show that this sample is overwhelmingly White (91%, n=139), non-Hispanic (91%, n=138), with a “comfortable” financial background (61%, n=90), and a mean age of 20.6 (SD= 2.6) years. Of note, 62% (n=82) of athletes reported having at least one sport-related bone injury over their athletic career, 49% (n=65) reported any history of irregular menses and 15% (n=20) reported currently experiencing irregular menses. The burden of clinical mental health diagnosis in the population included Anxiety (25%, n=33), Depression (15%, n=20), and any Eating Disorder (14%, n=18).CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that this population of collegiate female cross-country runners experience a high burden of physical and psychological health morbidities and have a significant need for focused prevention and intervention for RED-S. Importantly, forthcoming research will focus on associations between risk and outcomes to inform public health programming.
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