Dr. Paulina Wasserfurth, Dr. Robin Halioua, Désirée Toepffer, Dr. Malte Christian Claussen, and Prof. Dr. Karsten Koehler have published a new study examining the suitability of the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q) and the Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire (BEDA-Q) for detecting clinical indicators of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).
This cross-sectional study assessed 50 female endurance athletes who train at least four times per week. The aim was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of both questionnaires and determine their ability to identify athletes at mild or higher risk of REDs according to the IOC REDs Clinical Assessment Tool Version 2 (IOC REDs CAT2).
The results suggest that both the LEAF-Q and the BEDA-Q are valuable screening tools for the early detection of REDs and disordered eating behavior. The combination of both instruments further increased the likelihood of identifying affected athletes at an early stage.
For more detailed information, please refer to the original publication.