Knowledge, Attitude, and Skill of High School Coaches with Regard to the Female Athlete Triad

Study Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge high school coaches have about the female athlete triad and to determine if gender differences in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors exist. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Twenty-six high schools in and around the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio. Participants: Two-hundred currently employed high school coaches. Interventions: Participants completed a 30-question survey used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors coaches had about the female athlete triad. Main Outcome Measures: Descriptive statistics (means, SD, frequency) and gender differences in response to triad knowledge, attitude, and behavior questions. Results: One hundred twenty-three high school coaches completed the survey. Survey respondents were between 25 and 35 years of age, coached for 6-10 years, and coached female athletes 75%-100% of the time. Twenty-four percent reported having heard of the triad and 14% (17 of 123) were able to correctly name all of its components. There were no significant differences between gender and the coach's ability to correctly name the 3 triad components (t = 1.47, P = .14). There was no correlation between coach gender (r = 0.13, P =.07), age (r = 0.07, P = .42), number of years of coaching (r = 0.014, P = .88), and coach's knowledge of the triad components, respectively. Conclusion: Female athletes might be at risk for developing the female athlete triad and high school coaches can be instrumental in identifying athletes who are at risk. This study showed that gaps in knowledge about the triad exist and that educating coaches about the condition could serve as an important means of prevention for the condition.