O3269: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport: Raising Awareness and Education

Background: Athletes who participate in sports associated with leanness are at higher risk for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). This condition can lead to serious medical consequences and often goes unrecognized. Athletes, trainers, and coaches have low knowledge regarding RED-S. The goal of the project was to develop an educational tool for athletes, trainers, and coaches, and evaluate its impact on knowledge and attitudes.

Methods: Using a pre-post study design, we assessed changes in knowledge and attitudes around recognizing and managing RED-S. We recruited 53 collegiate/post-collegiate athletes and athletic trainers/coaches to participate. Participants completed the online consent process and baseline survey via REDCap prior to being directed to educational videos and post-education survey. Videos were created that reviewed signs/symptoms of RED-S, how to talk with athletes about these subjects, and when/how to refer at-risk athletes for assessment. Surveys assessed basic knowledge of RED-S symptoms, how to address RED-S, and resources for referral.

Response choices included 5-point Likert scales, multiple choice, and true-false options. Chi-square and T-tests were used to examine changes in pre-post results

Results: A total of 53 participants completed the baseline survey, and 28 completed both surveys. Participants included 88.7% women, 84.9% athletes/former athletes, 15.1% coaches/trainers. Athlete participants played 16 different sports. There was a significant increase in knowledge of RED-S criteria and comfort with addressing RED-S (Table 1). Compared to other training materials, many participants found the videos more informative than prior information they had received on RED-S (90.9%) and rated them highly (1.68, range 1-5, S.D. 0.646).

Conclusion: Participants increased knowledge of signs/symptoms of RED-S, how to create healthy environments for athletes, and when to refer for medical evaluation. Satisfaction scores were high when comparing video content to prior information received regarding RED-S. Overall, the data shows that educational videos are beneficial tools for providing RED-S education.