title: The female athlete triad: prevalence in military women.
abstract: The objective of this study was to define the prevalence of the female athlete triad, i.e., the simultaneous occurrence of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis, in military women. A total of 423 active duty female soldiers participated in a three-part prospective, cross-sectional study. Part 1 entailed completing the Eating Disorder Inventory and a clinical interview with those women "at risk" for an eating disorder. Part 2 consisted of a clinical evaluation and laboratory studies of any woman with menstrual irregularities. Part 3 evaluated the bone mineral density of all women meeting the inclusion criteria for parts 1 and 2 using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Of the 423 active duty women who participated in the study, no subject exhibited the full female athlete triad. Thirty-three women (8%) had an eating disorder and 109 women (26%) were at risk for an eating disorder. Our results suggest that the female athlete triad is not a clinically significant problem for the Army.
authors.affiliation: Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA, USA.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Lauder
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology