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Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review

Rahadyana Muslichah, Sara E Styles, Penelope A Matkin-Hussey, Tom Love Orcid Logo, Katherine E Black Orcid Logo

Nutrition Reviews

Swansea University Author: Tom Love Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1093/nutrit/nuag032

Abstract

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), a health-deteriorating syndrome caused by problematic low energy availability (LEA), is increasingly prevalent among adolescent athletes. LEA may stem from intentional and unintentional energy deficits, often linked to poor nutrition knowledge and practice...

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Published in: Nutrition Reviews
ISSN: 0029-6643 1753-4887
Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71741
first_indexed 2026-04-14T14:04:06Z
last_indexed 2026-05-09T05:05:15Z
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Although nutrition education has been proposed as a strategy to prevent and manage LEA, evidence of its effectiveness in this vulnerable population remains inconclusive. This scoping review synthesized the existing literature on nutrition education interventions related to LEA in adolescent female athletes and identified gaps for future research and interventions. A systematic search was conducted across 4 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost). Studies were included if they involved adolescent female athletes (mean age: 10&#x2013;19&#x2009;years) and had at least 1 intervention group receiving nutrition education covering either LEA, REDs, or Female Athlete Triad (Triad). Of the 7 eligible studies, education was mostly delivered face-to-face, combining interactive lectures and practical activities (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;3). Nutritionists/dietitians were frequently involved in the development of educational materials and/or content delivery (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;5). Limited use of digital technology and behavioral frameworks was observed. All studies reported immediate gains in both LEA/REDs/Triad knowledge and general sports nutrition following the interventions. Higher adherence (&#x2265;80%) and lower attrition were observed in shorter programs, face-to-face dietitian-led education, and those adopting a multicomponent approach, such as school-based integration. However, long-term impacts and LEA-specific outcomes, such as energy availability, were rarely evaluated. Finally, the considerable variation in the outcome measurements, intervention designs, and education delivery approaches restricted the ability to draw firm conclusions about overall effectiveness. 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spelling 2026-05-08T13:41:53.3478014 v2 71741 2026-04-14 Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review ec50e8c32b3a1274b1022f9d5412478c 0000-0002-9404-5394 Tom Love Tom Love true false 2026-04-14 EAAS Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), a health-deteriorating syndrome caused by problematic low energy availability (LEA), is increasingly prevalent among adolescent athletes. LEA may stem from intentional and unintentional energy deficits, often linked to poor nutrition knowledge and practices, as well as body image concerns. Although nutrition education has been proposed as a strategy to prevent and manage LEA, evidence of its effectiveness in this vulnerable population remains inconclusive. This scoping review synthesized the existing literature on nutrition education interventions related to LEA in adolescent female athletes and identified gaps for future research and interventions. A systematic search was conducted across 4 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost). Studies were included if they involved adolescent female athletes (mean age: 10–19 years) and had at least 1 intervention group receiving nutrition education covering either LEA, REDs, or Female Athlete Triad (Triad). Of the 7 eligible studies, education was mostly delivered face-to-face, combining interactive lectures and practical activities (n = 3). Nutritionists/dietitians were frequently involved in the development of educational materials and/or content delivery (n = 5). Limited use of digital technology and behavioral frameworks was observed. All studies reported immediate gains in both LEA/REDs/Triad knowledge and general sports nutrition following the interventions. Higher adherence (≥80%) and lower attrition were observed in shorter programs, face-to-face dietitian-led education, and those adopting a multicomponent approach, such as school-based integration. However, long-term impacts and LEA-specific outcomes, such as energy availability, were rarely evaluated. Finally, the considerable variation in the outcome measurements, intervention designs, and education delivery approaches restricted the ability to draw firm conclusions about overall effectiveness. Findings of this review highlight the need for more methodologically rigorous research to develop effective nutrition education programs that address the prevention and management of LEA in adolescent female athletes. Journal Article Nutrition Reviews 0 Oxford University Press (OUP) 0029-6643 1753-4887 low energy availability, relative energy deficiency in sports, nutrition intervention, nutrition education, adolescent female athlete 13 4 2026 2026-04-13 10.1093/nutrit/nuag032 COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee This work was supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan) through a scholarship granted to the first author. 2026-05-08T13:41:53.3478014 2026-04-14T14:53:55.3507476 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences Rahadyana Muslichah 1 Sara E Styles 2 Penelope A Matkin-Hussey 3 Tom Love 0000-0002-9404-5394 4 Katherine E Black 0000-0003-4672-3362 5 71741__36685__83c690c760aa4839a35622e10256cec2.pdf 71741.VOR.pdf 2026-05-08T13:40:00.5015755 Output 1331334 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
spellingShingle Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
Tom Love
title_short Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
title_full Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
title_fullStr Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
title_full_unstemmed Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
title_sort Role of Nutrition Education in Preventing Low Energy Availability Among Adolescent Female Athletes: A Scoping Review
author_id_str_mv ec50e8c32b3a1274b1022f9d5412478c
author_id_fullname_str_mv ec50e8c32b3a1274b1022f9d5412478c_***_Tom Love
author Tom Love
author2 Rahadyana Muslichah
Sara E Styles
Penelope A Matkin-Hussey
Tom Love
Katherine E Black
format Journal article
container_title Nutrition Reviews
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publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 0029-6643
1753-4887
doi_str_mv 10.1093/nutrit/nuag032
publisher Oxford University Press (OUP)
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences
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description Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), a health-deteriorating syndrome caused by problematic low energy availability (LEA), is increasingly prevalent among adolescent athletes. LEA may stem from intentional and unintentional energy deficits, often linked to poor nutrition knowledge and practices, as well as body image concerns. Although nutrition education has been proposed as a strategy to prevent and manage LEA, evidence of its effectiveness in this vulnerable population remains inconclusive. This scoping review synthesized the existing literature on nutrition education interventions related to LEA in adolescent female athletes and identified gaps for future research and interventions. A systematic search was conducted across 4 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost). Studies were included if they involved adolescent female athletes (mean age: 10–19 years) and had at least 1 intervention group receiving nutrition education covering either LEA, REDs, or Female Athlete Triad (Triad). Of the 7 eligible studies, education was mostly delivered face-to-face, combining interactive lectures and practical activities (n = 3). Nutritionists/dietitians were frequently involved in the development of educational materials and/or content delivery (n = 5). Limited use of digital technology and behavioral frameworks was observed. All studies reported immediate gains in both LEA/REDs/Triad knowledge and general sports nutrition following the interventions. Higher adherence (≥80%) and lower attrition were observed in shorter programs, face-to-face dietitian-led education, and those adopting a multicomponent approach, such as school-based integration. However, long-term impacts and LEA-specific outcomes, such as energy availability, were rarely evaluated. Finally, the considerable variation in the outcome measurements, intervention designs, and education delivery approaches restricted the ability to draw firm conclusions about overall effectiveness. Findings of this review highlight the need for more methodologically rigorous research to develop effective nutrition education programs that address the prevention and management of LEA in adolescent female athletes.
published_date 2026-04-13T17:20:07Z
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