Assessment of Dietary Intake and Eating Attitudes in Recreational and Competitive Adolescent Rock Climbers: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The dietary intake and eating attitudes of adolescent climbers has not previously been studied. To fill this knowledge gap, we administered three surveys to 22 rock climbers (13 males, 9 females, age 14.2 ± 1.9 years): climbing ability, three-day dietary recall, and Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26). The majority (82%) of climbers did not meet their target energy intake (target = 2,471 ± 493 kcal·day −1 ; actual = 1,963 ± 581 kcal·day −1 ) ( p = 0.003) and 86% of climbers consumed below their target carbohydrate intake (target = 283 ± 67 g·day −1 ; actual intake = 226 ± 72 g·day −1 ) ( p = 0.009). Average dietary protein intake was 95 ± 51 g·day −1 , with the majority of climbers meeting their target intake of 88 ± 21 g ( p = 0.580). Seventy-three percent of climbers consumed below their target dietary fat intake (target = 90 ± 21 g·day −1 ; actual = 69 ± 20 g·day −1 ) ( p = 0.001). Average EAT-26 scores were 5.3 ± 4.1, indicating minimal risk of disordered eating attitudes/behaviors. There were no significant differences in boulderers vs. top rope climbers for energy/macronutrient intake, BMI, and EAT-26 score. There were no associations between energy intake and EAT-26 score ( R 2 = 0.245, p = 0.271) or climbing ability and EAT-26 score ( R 2 = p = 0.217). These data suggest that, with the exception of dietary protein intake, adolescent climbers fail to meet target dietary intakes, and exhibit minimal risk of disordered eating.

Dietary Intake, Body Composition and Iron Status in Experienced and Elite Climbers

“…Kemmler et al (26) found similar results, reporting that the energy intake of the climbing athletes was not significantly greater than their BMI matched controls, despite a 9.5 times greater training volume. These findings also appear to be consistent in adolescent climbers, where a high prevalence of sub-optimal energy intake (82%) has been reported, with no significant association between training hours and energy intake (27). Furthermore, no difference was reported in energy intake between climbing ability groups (27), reflecting the data in the present study, where no significant correlation between ability and energy intake was seen in adult climbers.…”

“…These findings also appear to be consistent in adolescent climbers, where a high prevalence of sub-optimal energy intake (82%) has been reported, with no significant association between training hours and energy intake (27). Furthermore, no difference was reported in energy intake between climbing ability groups (27), reflecting the data in the present study, where no significant correlation between ability and energy intake was seen in adult climbers. Despite a lower absolute energy intake compared to males (∼2,039 vs. ∼2,270 kcal•day −1 ), females had a significantly higher energy intake when expressed relative to fat-free body mass (45.6 vs. 37.2 kcal•kgFFM −1 •day −1 ; p ≤ 0.01).…”

“…No differences in macronutrient intake were found between intermediate/advanced and elite/higherelite climbers in males or combined genders, in agreement with the findings of Sas-Nowosielski and Judyta (56), who also found no difference between ability levels. However, there was a significant correlation between climbing ability and protein intake in female athletes, supporting the work of Michael et al (27), who found that elite climbers consumed more protein than intermediate climbers, although reported differences were small (1.8 vs. 1.7 g•kg −1 •day −1 ).…”

“…It should be noted that the use of predictive equations to determine RMR values is a limitation of the present study and previous work in this field (27), due to the potential to generate an under or over prediction of energy requirements (39). Although the inclusion of body composition data may improve the accuracy of predictive equations in athletes (39), future research should consider a more precise method, such as indirect calorimetry (54).…”

Prevalence of Disordered Eating Among International Sport Lead Rock Climbers

“…A few recent studies suggest rock climbers may not be consuming adequate energy to support optimal health. These studies recognized low energy availability using 24 h dietary recall in a small group of advanced adolescent climbers (Michael et al, 2019) and 7 day food records in advanced adult climbers (Krzysztof and Judyta, 2019). Although our study did not evaluate dietary energy intake and we did not detect DE in the majority of our participants, it is possible that some of our participants, with or without DE, did not consume enough energy, which may lead to poor bone density, increased risk of injury, and compromised health (Tayne et al, 2019).…”