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Diet quality and mental health status among division 1 female collegiate athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dietary interventions have been proven to play a role in enhancing mental health. The International Olympic Committee recognizes the mental health of athletes as a key contributor to collegiate athletes’ safety and physical health. Female collegiate athletes have a higher propensity for nutritional irregularities, depression, and anxiety. The degree of evidence surrounding this vulnerable population remains insufficient, thus, Christensen et al. (2021) conducted their quantitative, cross-sectional studies to investigate female athletic students. A final sample of 77 female athletes submitted a validated, web-based Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ-III) to extrapolate a Healthy Eating Index (HEI), in addition to a total of three mental health questionnaires: the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ), COVID Stress Scales (CSS), and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Data analysis revealed a negative association between HEI scores and mental health, where athletes scoring high on the HEI were found to suffer from higher levels of performance concerns, stress, poor mental health, and elevated CSS components (contamination, danger, and traumatic stress). In opposition to the original authors’ hypotheses, a substantial relationship was observed between mental health and dietary quality, in addition to stress indicators and levels of symptom severity particular to COVID-19 and athletes. Thus, the authors recommend conducting further studies to fully understand these findings. [NPID: COVID-19, Healthy Eating Index, collegiate athletes, diet quality, female, mental health, nutrition, stress]
Year: 2021
