Knowledge and Behaviors Regarding Hydration in Track and Field Throwers

Background/Purpose:   Research has investigated hydration and fluid replacement practices in athletes, particularly football players.  While athletes appear to recognize the importance of proper hydration, some lack the knowledge needed to maintain hydration, which impacts performance and sets the stage for medical conditions.  The purpose of this study was to identify track and field throwers’ knowledge related to proper hydration, methods used to avoid dehydration, and barriers encountered related to maintaining hydration.  Method:   An email was sent to all divisions of NCAA track and field throws coaches, who forwarded the survey to their throwers.  The email included a brief description of the survey, the purpose, and a hyperlink to the web-based survey.  The survey included demographics, true/false and Likert-type items to assess knowledge of proper hydration, yes/no items to assess hydration practices, items to assess barriers, as well as nutrition-related resources.  Descriptive statistics were calculated.  Analysis/Results:   335 participants responded.  97.3% (n=287) indicated that dehydration decreases performance.  50.5% (n=149) of respondents reported thirst is the best indicator of dehydration, but 81.8% (n=225) do not rely on thirst alone.  Sports drinks create confusion as 67.5% (n=199) indicated that sports drinks should be consumed within two hours post-exercise, and 41.4% (n=122) indicated that sports drinks are advantageous over water.  41.4% (n=122) responded that a sports drink should be consumed rather than water when exercising longer than one hour, but only 27.3% (n=75) of athletes follow that guideline.  78.5% (n=216) of throwers are following guidelines related to pre-activity fluid consumption.  While the participants reported that water is readily available during practice (78.2%, n=215), we found that through further questioning, 58.6% (n=140) reported that facility location or practice times influence the availability of water.  Fortunately, coaches are not limiting fluid consumption during practice (98.9%, n=272) or competition (99.6%, n=274).  Participants reported that their coach (87.4%, n=235) and the internet (85.9%, n=231) are the top resources utilized for nutrition information.  Conclusions:   Throwers are fairly knowledgeable in the area of hydration, but some view thirst as an indicator of hydration status, and the appropriate use of sports drinks is a source of misunderstanding.  Most concerning is that track and field throwers may not have access to the water needed due to venue location and/or practice time, which may cause dehydration, decrease performance, increase the risk for heat illnesses or other health issues.  Coaches need to be educated in nutrition-related topics as they are a prime resource for throwers.