Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how accurately collegiate athletes can perceive their level of hydration via urine color compared to the actual specific gravity of the urine. The findings will be valuable in determining if visual perception is an accurate enough method for athletes to track their hydration. Thirty-five Northwestern College wrestlers were recruited. Each wrestler was instructed to collect a sample of their urine in a paper cup. Then, they compared their urine sample to a chart, provided by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. They assigned their sample a rating, ranging from 1-8. These ratings also fell into one of three zones: well-hydrated, hydrated, or dehydrated. After the chart comparison, the participant then had their urine sample inserted into a refractometer to record the specific gravity. The specific gravity values were standardized for comparison with the subjective values, also ranging from 1-8 and falling into one of the three zones. The results showed that about 57% of the participants correctly guessed their hydration level. However, about 80% of the participants had non-harmful predictions, meaning they either correctly guessed their hydration level or were more hydrated than they perceived. The other 20% had harmful guesses, meaning they were more dehydrated than they perceived. To analyze the accuracy of the comparisons, a Wilcoxon-signed rank test was performed. This showed no significant difference in the means of the two predictions (p>.05). However, a Bland-Altman plot showed little measurement of agreement between the two predictions, so a Levene’s Test was performed to analyze the difference of variance. A significant difference was found (p<.05). Because of the significant difference between refractometry and visual perception, it was concluded that athletes should use refractometry for a more serious tracking of their hydration level.
Included in
Examining the Effectiveness of Subjective Perception of Collegiate Athletes
The purpose of this study was to examine how accurately collegiate athletes can perceive their level of hydration via urine color compared to the actual specific gravity of the urine. The findings will be valuable in determining if visual perception is an accurate enough method for athletes to track their hydration. Thirty-five Northwestern College wrestlers were recruited. Each wrestler was instructed to collect a sample of their urine in a paper cup. Then, they compared their urine sample to a chart, provided by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. They assigned their sample a rating, ranging from 1-8. These ratings also fell into one of three zones: well-hydrated, hydrated, or dehydrated. After the chart comparison, the participant then had their urine sample inserted into a refractometer to record the specific gravity. The specific gravity values were standardized for comparison with the subjective values, also ranging from 1-8 and falling into one of the three zones. The results showed that about 57% of the participants correctly guessed their hydration level. However, about 80% of the participants had non-harmful predictions, meaning they either correctly guessed their hydration level or were more hydrated than they perceived. The other 20% had harmful guesses, meaning they were more dehydrated than they perceived. To analyze the accuracy of the comparisons, a Wilcoxon-signed rank test was performed. This showed no significant difference in the means of the two predictions (p>.05). However, a Bland-Altman plot showed little measurement of agreement between the two predictions, so a Levene’s Test was performed to analyze the difference of variance. A significant difference was found (p<.05). Because of the significant difference between refractometry and visual perception, it was concluded that athletes should use refractometry for a more serious tracking of their hydration level.