Screening-based low energy availability risk, disordered eating risk, and their co-occurrence among female volleyball players: a cross-sectional study.

Authors

Hülya André, Derya Çetin Sarışık, Arda Özçelik

Published in

PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 10. Pages e0360395. Epub Oct 08, 2026.

Abstract

Low energy availability (LEA) and disordered eating (DE) are important health concerns in female athletes, yet their occurrence and co-occurrence in team-sport contexts, particularly volleyball, remain underexplored. This cross-sectional online survey study examined the proportions of athletes classified as being at risk of LEA and DE overall and across competition levels, and assessed the co-occurrence between the two risk classifications in female volleyball players in Türkiye, using the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q) and Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). It also examined correlations between EAT-26 total score and LEAF-Q total and domain scores. A total of 213 athletes, recruited via non-probability convenience sampling, completed the LEAF-Q and EAT-26 to assess LEA risk and DE risk, respectively. In this sample, 33.3% of athletes were classified as being at risk of LEA, with no difference across competition levels (p = 0.825). A total of 17.4% were classified as being at risk of DE, with variation across competition levels and the highest proportion among Turkish Women's Volleyball Second League athletes (p = 0.034). LEA risk and DE risk co-occurred in 10.3% of the sample, and DE risk was associated with higher odds of LEA risk (unadjusted OR = 3.80, 95% CI: 1.82-7.92). EAT-26 total score was positively correlated with LEAF-Q total and gastrointestinal function scores (p < 0.001) and injury history score (p = 0.004), but not menstrual function score (p = 0.133). These results suggest that LEA risk was commonly identified in this sample, DE risk was comparatively less common, and their co-occurrence was only partial, highlighting the value of screening for both risks rather than assuming one from the other.

PMID:
42848821
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Oct 2026.

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