The LEAF questionnaire is a good screening tool for the identification of the Female Athlete Triad/Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport among young football players
Edyta Łuszczki, Paweł Jagielski, Anna Bartosiewicz, Maciej Kuchciak, Katarzyna Dereń, Artur Stolarczyk, Paweł Pakosz, Łukasz Oleksy
Abstract
Background It has been noticed that Female Athlete Triad (Fat) and Relative Energy Deficiency (Red-S) in Sport are characterized by the symptoms of impaired endocrine-metabolic function and bone health in female athletes. In addition, it may be evaluated with a qualitative tool, such as Low Energy Availability in Females questionnaire (LEAF-Q) and quantitative measurements: bone mineral density (BMD), resting energy expenditure (REE), body composition, 24-hour dietary recall. Methods The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Triad and Red-S using the LEAF-Q in youth female football players. Additionally, the difference in the BMD, body composition, REE and energy intake (EI) were assessed between the Triad/Red-S risk and not at-risk groups. Results Almost two thirds (64.7%) of participants are classified as being at-risk for the triad according to their LEAF-Q scores. There were no statistically significant differences ( p > 0.05) between most of the values among children from the analyzed groups. There was a statistically significant difference ( p < 0.001) between the EI values among girls from the two analyzed groups: at-risk (1,773.18 kcal ± 232.57) and not at-risk (2,054.00 kcal ± 191.39). Girls who did not meet the energy intake recommendations were 10.00 as likely to be in the Triad/Red-S risk group. Conclusion Early identification of Fat/Red-S symptoms by screening tools such as the LEAF questionnaire is important in protecting young athletes from long-term damage due to the progression of the risk factors associated with the Fat/Red-S.