Awareness and Knowledge of Medical Issues Related to Female Athletes Among Track and Field Coaches

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of the Participants

	%	N
Affiliation
Elementary school	6.1	25
Junior high school	15.5	64
High school	31.3	129
University/college	4.9	20
Club teams	25.5	105
Corporate team	3.6	15
Others	13.1	54
Age
<19 years	2.7	11
20–29 years	4.9	20
30–39 years	20.6	85
40–49 years	30.3	125
50–59 years	28.2	116
60–69 years	10.7	44
70–79 years	2.7	11
Years of coaching
<5 years	11.9	49
5–9 years	18.5	76
10–14 years	18.2	75
15–19 years	12.6	52
20–29 years	20.2	83
30–39 years	14.6	60
≥40 years	4.1	17
Coaching events
Sprinting events	5.3	24
Jumping events	1.6	7
Throwing events	2.2	10
Distance events	12.8	58
All of the above	78.1	353
In what events?
Sprinting events	37.6	143
Jumping events	17.1	65
Throwing events	8.2	31
Distance events	32.1	122
Combined events	5.0	19
Your level as an athlete
International	8.1	31
National	47.4	182
Region	19.0	73
Prefecture	22.9	88
Hobby	2.6	10

Note: The questions are listed in bold font.

Table 2 Summary of Sex Differences in the Survey Responses of Sports Coaches

	Female (%)	Male (%)	P-value
Are you aware of the triad? (yes)	74.4	56.1	0.021
Are you aware of RED-S? (yes)	64.3	52.2	0.138
To what extent do you object to female athletes seeking medical attention for gynecological problems			0.100
To a great extent	9.3	6.8
Somewhat	2.3	5.2
Very little	14.0	5.2
Not at all	74.4	82.9
To what extent do you object to female athletes using low estrogen pills			0.073
To a great extent	32.6	16.8
Somewhat	14.0	16.3
Very little	27.9	27.1
Not at all	25.6	39.8
Do you discuss menstrual issues with female athletes?	81.4	56.6	0.002
Do you have a physician who can discuss gynecological problems with female athletes? (yes)	46.5	11.1	<0.001

Note: The statistical significance and the questions that were asked are shown in bold font.

Abbreviations: The triad, female athlete triad (an interrelationship of low energy availability with or without disordered eating, menstrual irregularities or amenorrhea and low bone mineral density); RED-S, relative energy deficiency in sport (the result of insufficient caloric intake and/or excessive energy expenditure).

Table 3 Results of the Logistic Regression Analysis (Statistically Significant Data Only)

	Odds Ratio	95% CI	p-value
Are you aware of the triad? (yes)
Sex (Ref: Male)
Female	3.59	[1.58, 8.17]	0.002
Age (Ref: <29 years)
30–39 years	0.19	[0.06, 0.57]	0.003
40–49 years	0.26	[0.09, 0.74]	0.011
50–59 years	0.30	[0.10, 0.92]	0.036
60 years+	0.17	[0.05, 0.60]	0.006
Affiliation (Ref: Club team)
Elementary school	0.31	[0.10, 0.94]	0.039
High school	2.30	[1.18, 4.49]	0.015
University/college	9.02	[1.80, 45.25]	0.008
Coaching years (Ref: <5 years)
5–9 years	4.33	[1.72, 10.93]	0.002
15–19 years	3.53	[1.29, 9.67]	0.014
20–29 years	3.31	[1.23, 8.88]	0.018
≥ 30 years	4.32	[1.40, 13.36]	0.011
Events in which the coach was a former athlete (Ref: Sprinting events)
Jumping events	0.37	[0.19, 0.73]	0.004
Are you aware of RED-S? (yes)
Affiliation (Ref: Club team)
University/college	4.18	[1.05, 16.54]	0.042
Years of coaching experience (Ref: <5 years)
5–9 years	3.40	[1.43, 8.10]	0.006
15–19 years	2.84	[1.09, 7.38]	0.032
≥30 years	3.75	[1.29, 10.91]	0.015
Events in which the coach was a former athlete (Ref: Sprinting events)
Jumping events	0.52	[0.27, 0.99]	0.045
Combined events	0.33	[0.12, 0.95]	0.041
Object to athletes seeking medical attention for gynecological problems
Coaching years (Ref: <5 years)
10–14 years	0.32	[0.12, 0.91]	0.032
15–19 years	0.13	[0.03, 0.48]	0.003
≥30 years	0.21	[0.06, 0.76]	0.017
Object to athletes taking low estrogen pills
Affiliation (Ref: Club team)
High school	0.45	[0.23, 0.87]	0.017
Other	0.44	[0.20, 0.96]	0.038
Coaching years (Ref: <5 years)
10–14 years	0.38	[0.16, 0.90]	0.028
≥30 years	0.32	[0.11, 0.95]	0.040
Talk about menses with athletes
Sex (Ref: Male)
Female	5.07	[1.99, 12.94]	0.001
Affiliation (Ref: Club team)
High school	3.01	[1.47, 6.16]	0.003
University/college	5.80	[1.17, 28.77]	0.031
Coaching years (Ref: <5 years)
10–14 years	4.97	[2.01, 12.28]	0.001
15–19 years	3.78	[1.36, 10.49]	0.011
20–29 years	7.47	[2.66, 20.93]	< 0.001
≥30 years	13.81	[4.23, 45.03]	< 0.001
Have a physician who can discuss gynecological problems with female athletes (yes)
Sex (Ref: Male)
Female	9.22	[4.00, 21.27]	<0.001
Affiliation (Ref: Club team)
University/college	8.28	[2.16, 31.82]	0.002
Corporate team	11.3	[2.68, 47.71]	0.001

Note: The questions are listed in bold font.

Abbreviations: The triad, female athlete triad; RED-S, relative energy deficiency in sport; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval.