Effects and predictors of bone mineral density in college-aged female athletes /

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sport-type on bone mineral density (BMD) (predominately lower body or predominately upper/lower body) among university Division I-A, female athletes (ages 18-25 yrs). A secondary purpose was to determine to what extent evidence of an eating disorder, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), and episodes of amenorrhea predict the bone mineral status of the same sample of athletes. There were 50 athletes from various lower and upper/lower body sports included in this sample. A MANOVA determined the effect of sport-type on BMD, while four separate regression analyses examined the predictors of BMD (dominant and non-dominant forearm and femoral neck). The results showed a significant relationship between type of sport and BMD; although, the sample was too limited to determine which sport-type produced the most significant relationship. The regression analyses revealed that BMI was the only significant predictor of BMD for both the upper and lower BMD measurements, while PBF was significant for the upper body measurements. These data suggest that sport-type does have an effect on the BMD that athletes attain. Additionally, BMI can be utilized to predict BMD issue among athletes.