title: Identification of cardiometabolic risk among collegiate football players.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Excessive fat mass clearly has adverse effects on metabolic processes that can ultimately lead to the development of chronic disease. Early identification of high-risk status may facilitate referral for definitive diagnostic tests and implementation of interventions to reduce cardiometabolic risk.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To document the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among collegiate football players and to develop a clinical prediction rule that does not require blood analysis to identify players who may possess a high level of cardiometabolic risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University athletic training research laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision football players (age = 19.9 +/- 1.2 years, height = 182.6 +/- 6.1 cm, mass = 97.4 +/- 18.3 kg).
  
  
  METHODS
  Anthropometric characteristics associated with body fat, isokinetic quadriceps strength, and biometric indicators associated with metabolic syndrome were measured. Participants were classified as high risk or low risk for future development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the cohort was 19% (12 of 62), and 79% (49 of 62) of the players exceeded the threshold for 1 or more of its 5 components. A 4-factor clinical prediction rule that classified individuals on the basis of waist circumference, blood pressure, quadriceps strength, and ethnic category had 92% sensitivity (95% confidence interval = 65%, 99%) and 76% specificity (95% confidence interval = 63%, 86%) for discrimination of high-risk or low-risk status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease appears to be exceptionally high among collegiate football players. A lack of race-specific criteria for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome almost certainly contributes to an underestimation of the true level of cardiometabolic risk for African American collegiate football players.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598, USA. Gary-Wilkerson@utc.edu
authors.forename: Gary B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Wilkerson
authors.forename: J Todd
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bullard
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Bartal
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005538:Football; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications*; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult