The Pennington Biomedical Research Center recently received a $2.3 million grant to study the health of female collegiate athletes.
The study will span five years and follow 500 female athletes from LSU, American University in Washington, D.C., and Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
Though co-principal investigator Tiffany Stewart couldn’t disclose the specific outcomes the researchers are looking into, she said they are examining the health, performance and well-being of female student-athletes.
“Athletics is a pretty intense thing, especially for female athletes,” Stewart said. “They train so hard, and keeping healthy can be a challenge.”
Shelly Mullenix, senior associate athletic trainer and director of wellness, said she has wanted the University’s Athletic Department to collaborate with Pennington for some time now.
“Pennington is known worldwide and our athletes are part of an internationally-recognized program, so it just makes sense to pair them up,” Mullenix said.
Mullenix said she believes the study with Pennington will help educate athletes on wellness “at a much grander scale.”
Athletes will be divided into two groups, and investigators will test to see if health education is more effective via peer intervention or through pamphlets, Mullenix said.
The study will follow each female athlete for 18 months, and Stewart said the study isn’t intensive and is flexible with rigid athletic schedules.
“It’s designed to get big results without being that labor-intensive,” Stewart said.
The athletes will be compensated $20 for their participation, which will come from the grant money from the National Institute of Mental Health. The $2.3 million will also go toward materials, travel and the study conductors’ salaries.
 
____ Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]