Low Energy Availability, Iron Deficiency, Low Vitamin D, and Male and Female Athlete Triad Risk Among Black Collegiate Athletes - A Pilot Study

A quasi-experimental one group pre-test/post-test design will be utilized in the current investigation among collegiate cross-country and track and field athletes from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Members of the men's and women's varsity cross-country teams and track & field teams at this HBCU will be asked to participate in this IRB approved study. Participants who decide to enroll in the study will be asked to sign consent forms.

A 4-question Male Athlete Triad Cumulative Risk Assessment or the 6-question Female Athlete Triad Cumulative Risk Assessment will be completed by each participant.

Participants will have Complete Blood Counts (CBCs), ferritin levels, and Vitamin D levels assessed via blood drawn by phlebotomists. Specimens will be sent to Quest Labs for analysis and results will be uploaded into a secure database.

Athletes will be asked to complete the modified Nutritional/Exercise Survey, which will ask information regarding their daily energy intake, exercise energy expenditure, consumption of macronutrients and food groups, as well as eating patterns, dietary restrictions, and supplement use. The survey will be administered and stored by Qualtrics, a password-protected encrypted platform.

In addition to questions about food intake, each athlete will be asked about the amount and intensity of all aerobic and anerobic exercise they do weekly - including resistance training. Each type of activity will be assigned a specific metabolic equivalent (MET) value. The total MET value per athlete will be based on an athlete's body weight and their total number of exercise hours according to the American College of Sports Medicine's Compendium of Physical Activity.