The purpose of this study was to assess (1) the energy, macro- and micronutrient intakes as well as (2) the eating find more attitudes of a group of elite adolescent female figure skaters to assess the potential nutritional risks among them. The results of this study will identify potential nutrient inadequacies and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors to inform the nutrition education and counseling needs of elite adolescent female skaters. Methods Participants Participants were 36 nationally-ranked elite adolescent female figure skaters who had a mean

age of 16 ± 2.5 SD years (range 13–22 years) and who attended an elite training camp at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO between 1998 and 1999. Written

informed consent was obtained from all participants and, where necessary, by their legal guardians prior to participation in the study. The Sports Medicine Advisory Board of the US Figure Skating Association and the US Olympic Committee Human Subject Review Board approved this study. The Human Investigation Review Committee at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA approved the secondary analysis of the data. Height and weight Participants were weighed and measured (in light clothing and without shoes) in the morning prior to engaging in physical activity. Body weight was measured using a beam balance scale to the nearest 50 g and height was measured selleck inhibitor with a stadiometer to the nearest 0.5 cm. Body mass index (BMI) was then calculated as the ratio of weight (kg) to height (m) Unoprostone squared (kg/m2); BMI-for-age percentiles were calculated for all participants ≤19y using growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention CDC; [19]. Dietary intake Dietary intake was assessed to determine the chief sources of energy and key micronutrients in skaters’ diets. After participants were provided detailed instructions, three-day food records (2 nonconsecutive weekdays and 1 weekend day) were recorded during a period of active training two months prior to attendance at the training camp. During the first week of training camp, participants met with a study staff member to review their food records and clarify missing or ambiguous data. The skaters then received a brief individualized nutrition education session with recommendations to help them improve their intakes if they exhibited problems. Diet records were then verified, coded, entered and analyzed by a registered dietitian on the study staff using Nutritionist IV (version 4.1, 1997, First Data Bank, Inc., San Bruno, CA). Estimated intakes of calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients were compared to age and gender appropriate normative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1999–2000 NHANES; [20–23]. Eating attitudes The Eating Attitudes Test EAT-40; [24] served as a measure of disordered attitudes and behaviors towards eating and body weight control.