The purpose of this research study is to conduct a pilot trial using an app-based approach to improve the health and performance of female collegiate soccer athletes through nutrition education and personalized feedback. The app-based program is designed to promote better performance through education on sport-specific fueling and good nutrition practices.
Objectives: Combat female soccer athletes underfueling during their competitive season. Study Overview: This project proposes an open label, pilot research endeavor between the Department of Nutrition at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) and the NCAA Division III CWRU Women's Soccer Team. The proposed study design will implement a commercially available, dietitian-designed phone app, Eat2Win. Eat2Win provides targeted nutritional education, specifically for soccer athletes, to improve fueling for sport and health. Additionally, Eat2Win's photo-based phone app technology will be used to provide individualized feedback to improve athlete fueling. Anthropometric, aerobic fitness (VO2), resting metabolic rate, physical activity, body composition and health-related questionnaire data will be collected from a subset of athletes at three timepoints: pre-season, in-season, and post-season. Biological measures from fingerstick blood and breath will be collected in a subset of participants at the three timepoints. General Aims/Hypothesis: Our intervention will strive to improve athlete health and performance through nutrition education and personalized feedback using the Eat2Win app.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
27
Voluntary use of the app will occur throughout the sport season.
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF -Q)
Focuses on physiological symptoms of insufficient energy intake. includes 25 questions arranged in three separate, sequential sections: injuries, gastrointestinal, and reproductive functions. (score; 0-36; total score ≥8 is to be considered at risk)
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)
Resting Energy Expenditure
Indirect calorimetry-determined resting energy expenditure expressed as kilocalories per day and adjusted for the residual difference between measured and predicted values determined as a function of fat mass, fat-free mass, age and sex according to best practices in the field.
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)
Grip Strength
Grip force in kilograms determined by a handgrip dynamometer, conducted on both arms, according to standard practice procedures.
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)
Contextual Body Image Questionnaire for Athletes (CBIQA)
Measures four dimensions of body image (Appearance (3 questions), Body Shape (3 questions), Muscularity (3 questions) and Body Weight and Fat (5 questions)) in the context of both athletics and daily life. (7-point Likert scale for each question; scaled scores for each of the four dimensions are obtained by dividing the sum of each question score within that dimension divided by the number of questions in that dimension; scoring is relative to each question with a score of 4 being neutral)
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)
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Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
Measures eating disorder psychopathology. It provides a measure of the range and severity of eating disorder features. (score; continuous beginning at 0; a higher score means greater risk)
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)
Body Composition - Fat Mass
Fat mass (kilograms) and as a percent of total body mass.
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)
Body Composition - Fat Free Mass
Fat Free Mass (kilograms) and expressed as a percent of total body mass.
Time frame: Baseline/Pre-season (August 2024), Mid-season (~2 months after baseline; October 2024), End of Study/End of Competitive Season (~4 months after baseline; December 2024)