Abstract
Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence of potential Low Energy Availability (LEA) risk amongst amateur and recreational athletes in Singapore. Design: In this cross-sectional study, a 52-item online questionnaire was used to determine potential LEA risk in the participants. A mean score of ≥4.0 on any of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) subscale, and/or a global score of ≥4.0, and/or Body Mass Index (BMI) Participants: 318 participants from Singapore, aged 21–35 years old (124 males; 194 females) completed the study questionnaire. Results: 34.3% of participants were found to be at potential risk of LEA. Female athletes (44.3%) had a significantly higher (p 0.316). Conclusions and Implications: The study found more than one third of the participants being at potential LEA risk. The findings add to the body of evidence on identifying athletes with potential LEA risk. Future studies can investigate the LEA prevalence amongst athletes in Singapore and other Asian populations with more extensive questionnaires that address consequences and symptoms of LEA.
Highlights
An adequate diet is critical for athletes to meet the energy needs for optimum health and performance
Amongst the at potential low energy availability (LEA) risk participants with scores of ≥4.0 for the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) subscales, underweight and not underweight (Table 3), highest numbers with elevated scores were for the Shape Concern (SC) (51.4%) followed by the Weight Concern (WC) (32.1%)
The overall potential LEA risk of 34.3% amongst female and male amateur and recreational athletes in Singapore is of concern, from both athletic performance and public health perspective
Summary
An adequate diet is critical for athletes to meet the energy needs for optimum health and performance. LEA is more prevalent in athletes, as their EEE is generally higher compared to non-athletic populations (Mountjoy et al, 2014). Potential LEA risks may involve low energy intake with or without disordered eating, compulsive exercise behaviors, higher bone injury risk, psychological consequences (Mountjoy et al, 2014), low awareness and incorrect perceptions on aspects like body weight, body fat and leanness (Loucks, Kiens and Wright, 2011; Mountjoy et al, 2014). Despite being a condition at the early part of eating disorder spectrum, persistent LEA can negatively impact athletic performance (i.e. poor exercise recovery, decreased endurance performance) (Mountjoy et al, 2014). It is critical to identify athletes at potential LEA risk to develop and facilitate the implementation of effective prevention
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