Recent studies have shown an increasing impact of online social networks such as Twitter on sports media. The following study aims to provide insight about communication patterns of athletes during the Olympic Games 2012 in London. Drawing on literature from traditional fields such as social capital (Field 2003), the 'uses and gratifications' approach (Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch 1974), self- presentation (Goffmann 1971) and recent studies about social media in sports (Kassing and Sanderson 2012), a Twitter-analysis of ten athletes was conducted during the Olympic Games 2012 in London. Following a content analysis of 1042 tweets (including 246 pictures), the research findings of this study reveal that athletes predominantly use Twitter as a platform for self- presentation. Furthermore, the analysis showed the possibility for fans to use Twitter in order to overcome the parasocial orbit (Kassing and Sanderson 2012) of virtual space and engage in actual social interaction with athletes. It is concluded that linkages of athletes with various stakeholders and the official framework of social media guidelines by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), result in self- restricting communication patterns of the athletes during the Olympic Games 2012.

To determine whether running imposes an additional iron cost on the female athlete, the response to an identical iron supplementation regime (200 mg elemental iron/day for 12-13.5 weeks) was assessed in two groups of iron deficient females classified as either runners (n=11) or non-runners (n=11). Criteria for selection was iron deficiency (serum ferritin ≤ 20 ng/ml) with an absence of anaemia (haemoglobin ≥12 g/dl). The response to therapy was evaluated on the basis of changes in serum ferritin and haemoglobin levels. Dietary intakes, physical activity and menstruation were monitored by all subjects. Runners averaged 32±8 miles running/week while the non-runners remained relatively sedentary during the supplementation period. Menstrual losses were similar in both groups. There was no significant difference in absorbable iron intake between the groups (p=0.10) and intakes ranged from 0.4-2.6 mg absorbable iron /day. Inadequate iron intakes were clearly demonstrated in 62% of the dietary records. As expected, there was a significant improvement in iron status over the period of oral iron therapy. Although the average overall change in serum ferritin for non-runners was 37.1 ng/ml compared to 26.6 ng/ml for the runners, this was not statistically significant (p=0.29) due to the very large interindividual variability in the change scores. Similarly, there was no significant difference in haemoglobin between the groups when averaged over time (p=0.81) and runners and non-runners demonstrated a similar pattern of change in haemoglobin over the course of supplementation. Regardless of their athletic practices, all females in their reproductive years appear to be at high risk of iron deficiency, primarily due to inadequate nutrition. Regular blood donation was also recognized as a potential contributing factor to the observed iron deficiency in these females, particularly in the non-runners. Because iron deficiency is undesirable for optimal health and well-being, recognition and prevention is highly recommended. Regular monitoring of iron status is particularly important in high performance athletes since a minor deficiency can potentially hinder peak performance and/or lead to the development of anaemia. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This study compared the prevalence of eating disorder behavior between collegiate athletes (n = 206) and college female nonathletes (n = 197). Numerous eating disorder studies conducted on the female college population have shown this population to be at greater risk of developing eating disorders than the general population. Furthermore, some studies have found that women athletes are even at higher risk of eating disorders, but the research has produced conflictual and inconclusive evidence. In this study, it was hypothesized that athletes would have higher rates of disordered eating. However, a reverse outcome occurred. The t-test conducted on the EAT-26 scores from the two groups showed that the nonathletes females displayed significantly higher eating disordered behavior than the female athletes. Additionally, relationships between sports advocating body leanness as possible risk factors of eating disorders were investigated and no significance was found. The study did find a link between age and eating disorder behavior among nonathletes. Traditionally, it has been assumed that collegiate female athletes are more likely to develop an eating disorder because of the intense training and performance demands that are added to the normal stressors of college life. This study challenges this assumption. The implications from the current study suggest additional research is needed to further investigate the specific environmental elements that may predispose subpopulations of college women to develop eating disorders. / Ph. D.

Fecal Fermentation Profile, Nutrient Proximate Analysis and Well-being of Aerobic versus Anaerobically Trained Female Athletes Lindsey Stallworth1, Anna K Whitlock1, Sonja J Lafollette2, Laiken Lewis2, Kristy Thomas1,3, Amy E Wahlquist MS4, W. Andrew Clark PhD, RD, LDN1,3, Mary Andreae MS, RD, LDN1,3, Michael Stone PhD5 College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Science, Department of Rehabilitative Science1; College of Arts and Science, Department of Biological Science2; Quillen College of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Science3; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health; Clemmer College of Education4, Department of Sport, Exercise, Recreation, and Kinesiology5, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City Introduction: The human gut microbiome serves a role in health and disease prevention. The composition of intestinal bacteria and their metabolites (fecal fermentation profile, FFP) can influence mood, sleep, immune response, inflammation and the ability to digest and absorb nutrients. Current studies show that populations who are more physically active have a more diverse microbiome compared to sedentary groups, resulting in higher adaptability to physical exertion. There is a limited amount of research focusing on the microbiome of physically active groups with different training regimens. Therefore, we investigated if athletes under aerobic versus anaerobic based training express differences in fecal fermentation profile, nutrient proximate analysis and measures of well-being. We hypothesize that aerobically trained athletes will express a more diverse microbiome as measured by FFP. Materials and Methods: Members from the ETSU Women’s Track and Field Team were recruited to join a research study evaluating physiological differences between aerobically (n=9) and anaerobically (n=3) trained athletes. Research participants read and signed an informed consent document (ETSU IRB-0122.15s-ETSU), completed 2 surveys (anthropometric, well-being), provided fecal (stool) and salivary cortisol samples for analysis. A 1g aliquot of the stool sample was collected and stored at -80 C for future microbiome analysis (UT, Knoxville, TN). The remainder of the stool sample was frozen at -80 C, lyophilized and ground to a fine powder for FFP and nutrient proximate analysis (NPA). FFP isolated short chain volatile fatty acids from the stool were identified via gas chromatography (Shimadzu). NPA of the stool included total calories, total nitrogen, dry matter. Mental well-being in regard to training were assessed via an athlete well-being survey, sport training survey, and salivary cortisol test (taken the morning of providing fecal sample). Dietary habits were assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Anthropometric data including height, weight, hydration status and lean body mass (Bio impedance Analysis (BIA)). Results: No statistical differences were noted between groups for FFP, dry matter, total calories or total nitrogen of the stool sample. Anthropometric measures of percent body fat (p < 0.0058), percent skeletal muscle (p < 0.0086) and body mass index (p < 0.0106) were lower for aerobically trained versus anaerobically trained athletes. Not enough surveys were completed for measures of well-being to be statistically analyzed. Conclusion: The hypothesis is rejected since there was no difference in the diversity of short chain volatile fatty acids. The data set is skewed because of the low number of anaerobic athlete participants to fairly evaluate the hypothesis. Additional samples are being sought to balance the data and data for salivary cortisol, food frequency questionnaire and fecal microbiome will be collected later.

Trait mindfulness has been found to be a beneficial characteristic of athletes. However, the research on mindfulness interventions has been limited, poorly described, and poorly designed. The current study sought to determine whether a brief mindfulness intervention improves distress tolerance among athletes. In addition, this experiment tested the impact of cultivating mindfulness on psychological variables that may be important for sport such as anxiety, happiness and capacity for stress. Athletes were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention conditions (brief mindfulness, sham mindfulness and no-intervention control). All participants completed distress tolerance measures, a motor performance measure under distressing conditions, and self-reported psychological measures. These measures were administered at pre- and post-intervention. Results indicated that the brief mindfulness intervention did not result in significant improvements in the primary outcome variables, in comparison to the sham mindfulness and no-intervention control groups. Strengths and limitations of the study, as well as future directions are provided.

Collegiate athletes have been an overlooked and vulnerable population regarding mental health concerns. Across the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and Division II, many athletes have taken on the mindset of “shake it off” or “get over it”, when dealing with physical or emotional pain (López and Levy, 2013). Additionally, collegiate athletes face barriers when considering treating pain, including the limited availability of time to use services, the stigma of being perceived as weak by coaches or other teammates, and the lack of counselors that have knowledge or experience with sports. Given these disparities, the current study attempted to understand the impact of injury, support, and emotional distress on current collegiate athletes. The researchers hypothesized that greater collegiate sports-related injuries, reduced team and coach support (Perceived Available Support in Sport Questionnaire), greater perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and reduced readiness to return to sport following injury (Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale) would be associated with reduced measures of psychological wellbeing (Student-Athlete Wellbeing Scale) and increases in athletic burnout (Athlete Burnout Scale). Participants included student-athletes from a private, liberal arts university, who completed an online survey. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant association between number of collegiate injuries (NCI: β=.533, p<.027) and perceived stress (PSS: β=.716, p<.012) on the Athlete Burnout subscale, sports devaluation (r2 = .903, F(3,7) = 12.397, p < .017). Furthermore, perceived stress was also significantly associated with athletic burnout subscales: reduced accomplishments (r2 = .942, F(3,7) = 21.555, p < .006; β=.750, p<.004) and emotional & physical exhaustion (r2 = .883, F(3,7) = 10.100, p < .024; β=.943, p<.006), as well as, psychological wellbeing (SAWS: r2 = .919, F(3,7) = 15.120, p < .012; β=-.922, p<.004). Measures of support in sport and psychological readiness to return to sport after injury were not significant predictors of either athlete burnout or student-athlete wellbeing. This data suggests that perceived stress is a primary predictor of burnout and psychological wellbeing in student-athletes and may help to identify those athletes in need of additional support. However, further studies need to investigate this relationship as this fairly homogenous athlete population may not fully identify specific vulnerabilities of the larger collegiate athlete population.

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