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Disability involves limitations that affect mobility and the ability to perform daily activities and achieve competitive goals. It is expected that disability has a significant impact on body composition, including reductions in lean mass and bone mineral content, and increases in fat mass and its distribution. Additionally, the assessment of food and dietary supplement intake among athletes with disabilities remains poorly described, despite its relevance in both sports and health contexts due to the potential benefits of individualized nutritional strategies.
This research project, entitled Anthropometric, Dietary, Exercise, and Supplementation Profile in Athletes with Disabilities (PADES), aims to describe the anthropometric characteristics, physical exercise practices, and food and supplement intake in Spanish athletes with disabilities. The study seeks to address the current lack of standardized anthropometric data and the limited information on dietary and supplementation patterns in this population, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of the physiological, nutritional, and biomechanical aspects essential for their health and athletic performance. A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study will be conducted in Spanish athletes with disabilities recruited through the Spanish Federation of Sports for People with Physical Disabilities (FEDDF), the Spanish Federation of Sports for the Blind (FEDC), and the Spanish Federation of Sports for the Deaf (FEDS).
The field of disability, there is a notable lack of standardized data on anthropometric measurements, physical activity practices, and food and/or supplement intake among athletes with disabilities. This gap limits our understanding of key physiological, nutritional, and biomechanical aspects of this population, making it difficult to generate evidence-based knowledge applicable to their health, athletic performance, and overall well-being. In the absence of specific data, designing personalized and effective nutrition or training programs becomes more challenging and imprecise.
The diversity in types of disabilities, functional classifications, and levels of physical activity demands an evidence-based approach to ensure that interventions are safe, effective, and tailored to the individual needs of athletes. Anthropometric assessment, dietary and supplement intake evaluation, as well as physical activity practices are measurable factors related to the nutritional health status of athletes with disabilities, directly influencing their physical performance and contributing to safer and more effective sports participation.
Establishing reference tables or consumption patterns will allow for comparisons between different types of disabilities and/or functional classes. These comparisons are essential to identify trends and develop targeted intervention strategies that benefit the broader population of athletes with disabilities.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | adult male athletes with disabilities |
| |
| Female | adult female athletes with disabilities |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diet | Other | frequency of food and supplement consumption |
| |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Body Mass | Measure: body mass. Unit of Measure: kilograms (kg). Description: measured using a SECA 862 scale or SECA 676 wheelchair scale according to the ISAK protocol. | 4 years |
| Linear Dimensions (Stature, Girths, Lengths and Breadths) | Measures: stretch stature, sitting height, arm span, girths, lengths and breadths. Unit of Measure: centimeters (cm). Description: stretch stature and sitting height will be measured using a SECA 217 stadiometer; arm span will be measured using a Smartmet arm-span device; girths will be measured using an inextensible Smartmet metal tape; breadths will be measured using a Holtain small sliding caliper and a Realmet large sliding caliper; and lengths will be determined using a Smartmet segmometer according to the ISAK protocol. | 4 years |
| Skinfolds | Measure: skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, biceps, iliac crest, supraspinale, abdominal, thigh and calf). Unit of Measure: millimeters (mm). Description: measured with a Holtain skinfold caliper following the ISAK protocol. | 4 years |
| Body Composition Variables | Measures: fat mass, fat-free mass, adipose mass, muscle mass, and bone mass. Unit of Measure: kilograms (kg). Description: fat mass will be estimated using the Katch-McArdle (1973) equation, based on body mass and selected skinfolds; fat-free mass will be estimated as the difference between body mass and fat mass; adipose mass will be estimated using the Kerr (1991) equation, based on stretch stature and selected skinfolds; muscle mass will be estimated using the Lee (2000) equation, based on stretch stature and corrected girths; and bone mass will be estimated using the Rocha (1974) equation, based on stretch stature and selected breadths. | 4 years |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary intake assessed using the Food4Me FFQ | A questionnaire validated in terms of content, applicability, structure, and presentation by University College Dublin and Crème Software Ltd. will be used (Food4Me FFQ). It is a self-administered, online, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. It comprises a total of 24 questions divided into two main sections. The first section collects the participant's age, the team they play for (which identifies the participant's sex), and playing position. The second section includes 21 questions assessing the intake of various food and beverage groups over the previous month (average intake of 157 foods). Consumption frequency is assessed by selecting one of the following options: never or less than once per month; 1-3 times per month; once per week; 2-4 times per week; 5-6 times per week; once per day; 2-3 times per day; 5-6 times per day; and >6 times per day. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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Athletes with disabilities from the different sports disciplines that belong to the Spanish Federation of Sports for People with Physical Disabilities (FEDDF), the Spanish Federation of Sports for the Blind (FEDC), and the Spanish Federation of Sports for the Deaf (FEDS).
| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Miguel Martinez Sanz, Dr | Contact | +34 620420726 | josemiguel.ms@ua.es | |
| David Romero GarcĂa, Dr | Contact | david.romero@ua.es |
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Health Sciences. University of Alicante | Recruiting | San Vicent del Raspeig | Alicante | 03690 | Spain |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32039228 | Background | Flueck JL. Body Composition in Swiss Elite Wheelchair Athletes. Front Nutr. 2020 Jan 22;7:1. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.00001. eCollection 2020. | |
| 32402793 | Background | Cavedon V, Zancanaro C, Milanese C. Body composition assessment in athletes with physical impairment who have been practicing a wheelchair sport regularly and for a prolonged period. Disabil Health J. 2020 Oct;13(4):100933. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100933. Epub 2020 Apr 22. |
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The data are available from the authors on request from the IP JMMS (josemiguel.ms@ua.es).
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D005247 | Feeding Behavior |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001522 | Behavior, Animal |
| D001519 | Behavior |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D004032 | Diet |
| D001823 | Body Composition |
| D015444 | Exercise |
| D006304 | Health Status |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D009747 | Nutritional Physiological Phenomena |
| D000066888 | Diet, Food, and Nutrition |
| D010829 | Physiological Phenomena |
| D001669 | Biochemical Phenomena |
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| body composition |
| Other |
body composition assessment |
|
| Physical activity | Other | Physical activity level |
|
| health status | Other | perception of health status |
|
| 4 years |
| Supplement consumption assessed using the Sports Supplement Intake Questionnaire | A questionnaire validated using qualitative methodology and self-administered either in person or online will be used. The questionnaire comprises a total of 34 questions divided into three main sections. The first section, comprising 6 questions, collects anthropometric data such as age, body mass, and height; personal data such as sex and date of birth; and sociodemographic information such as the autonomous community of residence. The second section includes 10 questions covering sport participation and its context, including the team/sports club, competition level, years of practice, and training and competition schedules. The final section, consisting of 14 questions, focuses on sports supplement consumption, namely which sports supplements participants consume, why they consume them, who advises them to consume them, where they purchase them, when they take them, and their perceived effects after consumption. | 4 years |
| Physical Activity Level assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) | The IPAQ-SF comprises 9 items and records the activity of four intensity levels: vigorous-intensity acitivity, moderate-intensity acitivity, walking and sitting. This version does not allow for a detailed assessment of physical activity across each domain of daily life; however, it integrates aspects of all domains, enabling the recording of total time and energy expenditure. Both versions assess three specific characteristics of activity: intensity (light, moderate, or vigorous), frequency (measured in days per week), and duration (time per day). | 4 years |
| 19997027 | Background | Bernardi M, Guerra E, Di Giacinto B, Di Cesare A, Castellano V, Bhambhani Y. Field evaluation of paralympic athletes in selected sports: implications for training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Jun;42(6):1200-8. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181c67d82. |
| 29207495 | Background | Capling L, Beck KL, Gifford JA, Slater G, Flood VM, O'Connor H. Validity of Dietary Assessment in Athletes: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017 Dec 2;9(12):1313. doi: 10.3390/nu9121313. |
| 39641837 | Background | Serafini S, Charrier D, Izzicupo P, Esparza-Ros F, Vaquero-Cristobal R, Petri C, Mecherques-Carini M, Baglietto N, Holway F, Tinsley G, Paoli A, Campa F. Anthropometric-based predictive equations developed with multi-component models for estimating body composition in athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2025 Mar;125(3):595-610. doi: 10.1007/s00421-024-05672-3. Epub 2024 Dec 6. |
| 27270749 | Background | Lachat C, Hawwash D, Ocke MC, Berg C, Forsum E, Hornell A, Larsson C, Sonestedt E, Wirfalt E, Akesson A, Kolsteren P, Byrnes G, De Keyzer W, Van Camp J, Cade JE, Slimani N, Cevallos M, Egger M, Huybrechts I. Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology-Nutritional Epidemiology (STROBE-nut): An Extension of the STROBE Statement. PLoS Med. 2016 Jun 7;13(6):e1002036. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002036. eCollection 2016 Jun. |
| D055598 | Chemical Phenomena |
| D008660 | Metabolism |
| D001824 | Body Constitution |
| D009043 | Motor Activity |
| D009068 | Movement |
| D009142 | Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena |
| D055687 | Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena |
| D003710 | Demography |
| D011154 | Population Characteristics |
| D015991 | Epidemiologic Measurements |
| D011634 | Public Health |
| D004778 | Environment and Public Health |