Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-4-2022

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

First Advisor

Melinda Valliant

Second Advisor

Samantha Kostelnik

Third Advisor

Ellen Ossorio

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Since 2000, 63% of deaths associated with college football were due to complications, such as sickling events; however, sickle cell trait (SCT) only affects 3-4% of participating athletes. Sickling events can be exasperated by conditions, including heat exposure, dehydration, and intense physical activity and lead to rhabdomyolysis and death. Assessing hydration status is crucial for athletes and the use of urine specific gravity (USG) has been shown to provide rapid and valid results. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of dehydration among SCT carrying American college football players.

Division I collegiate football athletes participated as part of a larger study. Athletes provided a midstream urine sample, for USG assessment, each morning for three days of fall football camp during August 2021. Cut offs for USG were as follows: well-hydrated (<1.010), minimal dehydration (1.011-1.020), significant dehydration (1.021-1.030), severe hypohydration (>1.030). USG measurements evaluated a correlation between SCT and hydration status along with an association between SCT and hydration level. The data showed a strong, significant correlation for day 1 (r=0.78, p=0.001), a moderate, significant correlation for day 2 (r=0.56, p=0.045), and a moderate correlation for day 3 (r=0.41, p=0.128). The data did not show a significant association between SCT and hydration level for any of the days. These findings suggest that there is a need for increased education for both sports medicine practitioners and athletes to maintain proper hydration for SCT athletes.

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