Diet Quality and Mental Health Status among Division 1 Female Collegiate Athletes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The International Olympic Committee has identified mental health as a priority that significantly affects the physical health and safety of collegiate athletes. Interventions that improve diet quality have been shown to improve mental health in several populations. However, studies are needed to examine this relationship in female collegiate athletes, who have elevated risk of experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as dietary insufficiencies. In a quantitative, cross-sectional study, female student athletes at a U.S. university completed three mental health questionnaires: Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ), and COVID Stress Scales (CSS). Each female athlete also completed a validated, web-based Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ-III) resulting in a Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Seventy-seven participants completed all survey information. HEI scores were consistently higher for athletes with poorer mental health. HEI scores were significantly positively associated with stress (p = 0.015), performance concerns (p = 0.048), CSS components of danger (p = 0.007), contamination (p = 0.006), and traumatic stress (p = 0.003). Although findings support statistically significant associations among dietary quality and mental health indicators, including broad symptom severity or stressors specific to athletics or COVID-19, these associations were in the opposite direction hypothesized. Possible reasons for results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Fatigue and recovery have different effects on knee biomechanics of drop vertical jump between female collegiate and recreational athletes

Background Although fatigue is known as one of the risk factors for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury, the effects of fatigue and recovery can be different based on the level of competition. However, it is unknown whether female recreational athletes are susceptible to fatigue or not, compared to female collegiate athletes with greater physical activity. The purpose of the present study was to examine and clarify the effects of fatigue and recovery on knee biomechanics of the drop vertical jump (DVJ) in female recreational athletes compared to female collegiate athletes. Methods Fifteen female collegiate athletes and ten female recreational athletes were enrolled in the current study. All subjects were basketball players and Tegner activity scales were level 9 and 7, respectively. They performed DVJ before and after the fatigue protocol. Three-dimensional knee kinematics and kinetics were collected during landing phase of DVJ. The data after the fatigue protocol (first, second, and third DVJs) were compared with those before the protocol using one-way repeated measures of analysis of variance in each group. Results Fatigue caused significant increase of knee abduction angle at initial contact (IC) and peak abduction moments within 40 ms from IC in female recreational athletes, whereas no increases of these parameters were observed in female collegiate athletes. Moreover, recovery from fatigue seemed to be more slowly in female recreational athletes than in female collegiate athletes as smaller knee flexion moment was observed even in post-fatigue third DVJ only for female recreational athletes. Conclusions Effects of fatigue on DVJ were significantly greater and continued for a longer duration in female recreational athletes compared to female collegiate athletes.

Collegiate Athletes’ Challenge, Stress, and Motivation on Dual Role

In the United States higher education, collegiate athletes mostly have a four-year eligibility within a five-year time frame to compete for and represent their institutions. During this period, collegiate athletes are expected to perform successfully in both academic and athletic roles so that they can maintain benefits, such as scholarships and eligibility. In other words, being a collegiate athlete brings about a multitude of pressures and stressors from handling this dual role, which include but are not limited to, scheduling classes, fatigue, financial pressure, and inflexibility of coaches (Cosh & Tully, 2015). According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2020), collegiate athletes are only allowed to participate in athletic-related activities for 20 hours per week, four hours a day in season, and eight hours per week during off season (NCAA, 2020). However, previous empirical research has indicated that Division I level collegiate athletes spend about 40 hours per week participating in sport-related activities (Smith & Hardin, 2018). Even though collegiate athletes invest tremendous time and effort in athletics, less than two percent of collegiate athletes become professional athletes after college (NCAA, 2018). For collegiate athletes, both athletic and academic performances require tremendous amounts of efforts due to their intense schedule. That is, it is convoluted for collegiate athletes to have identical motivation or reasons for attending college and participating in their sport. While collegiate athletes strive to balance in both academic and athletic responsibilities, they exhibit various types of motivation factors. According to Doupona Topic (2005), female collegiate athletes seem to be more academically motivated and less athletically motivated compared to male collegiate athletes. Also, Beamon and Bell (2006) found that African American collegiate athletes place less emphasis on academics than athletics, and they place less emphasis on education than Caucasian collegiate athletes. For African American collegiate athletes’ academic underperformance and negative psychosocial experiences can happen due to unwelcoming campus climate, inadequate academic support, and an overemphasis on their athletic roles (Beamon, 2008). As mentioned above, only a few collegiate athletes have a chance to move on to professional sport after their collegiate career. That is, majority of collegiate athletes go through a transitioning process moving out from sport. Numerous studies within the literature support that collegiate athletes often have a difficult time transitioning out of sport (Lally, 2007; Smith & Hardin, 2018). Motivation may be one of the solutions to overcome this abstruse moment. To foster effective and successful higher education environments in collegiate athletics, it is essential to understand what motivates collegiate athletes in their dual roles and how collegiate athletes set up create and implement their goals.

The Effects of Caffeine on Jumping Performance and Maximal Strength in Female Collegiate Athletes

Caffeine is often used in a variety of forms to enhance athletic performance; however, research regarding caffeine’s effects on strength and power in female athletes is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the acute effects of caffeine anhydrous (6 mg/kg of body mass) on jumping performance and maximal strength in female collegiate athletes. Eleven athletes (19.7 ± 0.9 yrs; 166.4 ± 10.2 cm, 67.7 ± 9.4 kg) performed two testing sessions separated by one week, and randomly received caffeine or placebo using a double-blind approach. Heart rate, blood pressure, and tympanic temperature were recorded before athletes received each condition, following 60 min of quiet sitting, and directly after performance testing. Athletes were assessed on unweighted and weighted squat jump height (SJH0, SJH20) and countermovement jump height (CMJH0, CMJH20), isometric mid-thigh pull peak force (IPF), and rate of force development from 0–200 ms (RFD200). Resting systolic blood pressure was significantly greater following caffeine administration compared to a placebo (p = 0.017). There were small, significant differences in SJH0 (p = 0.035, g = 0.35), SJH20 (p = 0.002, g = 0.49), CMJH0 (p = 0.015, g = 0.19), and CMJH20 (p < 0.001, g = 0.37) in favor of caffeine over placebo. However, there was no significant difference in IPF (p = 0.369, g = 0.12) and RFD200 (p = 0.235, g = 0.32) between conditions. Therefore, caffeine appears to enhance jumping performance, but not maximal strength in female collegiate athletes.