Abstract
Urine specific gravity (USG) is commonly utilized to assess hydration status. Athletic performance has been shown to be affected by hydration status. In addition to nutritional and hydration practices, environmental conditions can also influence hydration status. Therefore, healthcare professionals should also consider environment, both indoor and outdoor, when assessing hydration. PURPOSE: To compare base-line USG to season-long urine collections following a one-time, pre-season hydration intervention. METHODS: Fourteen NCAA Division II female collegiate volleyball athletes participated in this study. Urine was collected in sterile cups in the hours preceding either a game or practice. Collections were roughly two weeks apart, starting August 25th and ending November 4th, 2017, resulting in eight total collections. The hydration intervention consisted of information and guidelines presented to the team and coaching staff. The intervention was administered verbally immediately following base-line urine collection. Written guidelines were left with athletes and coaching staff. Urinalysis was conducted via reagent strips. Data was analyzed via SPSS v.22 with an a priori level of 0.05. Subsequent urinalyses were compared to the baseline urinalysis. RESULTS: USG statistically decreased from base-line to the second collection and did not statistically differ again until the final three collections (base-line = 1.021±0.008, 1.007±0.003*, 1.015±0.008, 1.013±0.006, 1.020±0.016, 1.014±0.005*, 1.011±0.008*, and 1.013±0.003*, *p < 0.05 compared to baseline). DISCUSSION: The hydration intervention illustrated a short-term effect on USG. A correlation between USG and environmental temperatures was evaluated post hoc for the final six urine collections, arguably when the effects of the intervention had subsided. The coefficient of determination (r2) revealed that 35.7% of the difference in USG was due to the environmental temperature, which was statistically significant (r = 0.597, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The intervention appeared to have a limited impact on USG. Differences in USG were evident again later in the season (late October to early November). Further analysis demonstrated a statistical influence of cooler temperatures on lower USG near the end of season.
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