Female Athletes Report Positive Experiences as Research Participants.
Given the underrepresentation of women in sports and exercise science research, we sought to understand the experiences of female athletes currently involved in applied sports and exercise science research to inform future studies and potentially increase participation rates. Accordingly, we investi...
| Publicado en: | International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 433 - 444 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
Sep2025
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=187464727&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 187464727 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 1526484X IJS jtl: International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism issn: 1526484X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Sep2025 vid: 35 iid: 5 pid: 553 pub: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. place: Champaign, Illinois artinfo: ui: 187464727 187464727 187464727 10.1123/ijsnem.2024-0182 187464727 ppf: 433 ppct: 11 formats: tig: atl: Female Athletes Report Positive Experiences as Research Participants. aug: au: Smith, Ella S. McKay, Alannah K.A. Ackerman, Kathryn E. Elliott-Sale, Kirsty J. Stellingwerff, Trent Harris, Rachel Burke, Louise M. affil: Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia sug: subj: Athletes, Female Psychosocial Factors Motivation Research Subjects Research, Medical Sex Factors Physical Fitness Evaluation Human Funding Source Female Athletes Triathlon Cycling Race Walking Athletic Performance Research Methodology Questionnaires Communication Knowledge Women's Health Patient Participation Social Perception Health Facility Business Ventures Comparative Studies Descriptive Statistics Female ab: Given the underrepresentation of women in sports and exercise science research, we sought to understand the experiences of female athletes currently involved in applied sports and exercise science research to inform future studies and potentially increase participation rates. Accordingly, we investigated the experiences of 89 female athletes (n = 48 cyclists/triathletes, n = 19 race walkers, n = 22 National Rugby League Indigenous Women's Academy players) who participated in four separate studies of sports performance with different methodological characteristics. Participants completed a questionnaire upon study completion that queried prior research participation, reasons for participating and experiences during the current study. Across all 89 athletes, 81% were first-time research participants, with the primary barriers cited as a perceived lack of opportunities or being unaware of opportunities (93%). Participants rated an interest in the research outcome as the most important aspect influencing their decision to participate (90 ± 14 [out of 100]), followed by the opportunities to receive personalized results (84 ± 20) and education (78 ± 27). Most participants (87%) stated that they would apply the study findings to their sports involvement, while the remaining 13% reported that they required support to understand the application of results. The majority (94%) of participants indicated a willingness to participate in future studies, while the research experience was rated positively at a mean 77 out of 100. Ultimately, our findings uncovered a perceived lack of opportunity as the primary barrier to female athlete research participation. As such, opportunities for women to participate in high-quality studies should be prioritized. Women are underrepresented in sports and exercise science research. A number of different studies have found that women make up only 11%–42% of research participants across various topics. While in studies examining outcomes related to sports performance this may be as low as 4%. This disparity is problematic because research findings from sports-related studies conducted primarily in men cannot always be directly applied to women. Although sex differences may not always be important for every area of sports science, there is the potential for male and female athletes to have different needs or responses due to differences in physique or event characteristics, alongside biological characteristics including hormonal patterns. Guidelines for athlete preparation and competition strategies can only be genuinely evidence based if they also consider any specific needs and characteristics of female athletes. Therefore, we need to recruit more female athletes into sports science research to determine whether sex-specific considerations are warranted. A key challenge in recruiting more women is volunteer (or self-selection) bias, meaning that women may be less willing or available to volunteer for research than men, despite being eligible to participate. A better understanding of the experiences of female athletes involved in sports science research may help to identify strategies to increase participation. Our survey study investigated the experiences of 89 female athletes aged 18–45 who took part in four separate sports performance studies conducted in Australia. Participants were recruited based on biological sex, with studies conducted in cis-gender women (assigned female at birth). The athletes represented various sports, including cycling, triathlon, race walking, and rugby league. They ranged in caliber from "trained/developmental" to "elite/world class." After completing their respective studies, the athletes completed a voluntary questionnaire. We explored their reasons for participating, their previous research experience and their feedback on their experiences in our studies. The majority of athletes (81%) reported that they were participating in research for the first time. Ninety-three percent stated the primary reason for this was a lack of opportunities/awareness of opportunities for previous involvement. The top reasons for participating in the study were an interest in the research outcome (average rating: 90 out of 100), the opportunity to receive personalized results (84/100) and opportunities for education around health and sports performance (78/100). Reasons ranked as less important were financial reimbursement for their participation (36/100) alongside networking opportunities (47/100). Almost all participants (87%) stated that they would apply the study findings to their sports involvement. Meanwhile, the remaining 13% reported that they required help to understand the results. Encouragingly, the majority (94%) of participants stated that they would participate in future research studies. They rated their overall experience highly, at an average 77 out of 100. We recognized that these findings represent the experiences of a small and specific subset of female athletes. Athletes with different characteristics—age, sports, nationalities, etc.—may have different viewpoints and experiences. We also note that we surveyed a convenience sample of individuals already enrolled in research and didn't capture the perspectives of other athletes who choose not to take part in research. Ultimately, our findings highlight that the main barrier to female athlete participation in sports science research is a perceived lack of opportunities to do so. Therefore, creating more opportunities for women to join high-quality studies should be a priority. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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