Development and Validation of a Subjective Health Status Scale for Collegiate Athletes

Accurate assessment of athletes' health status is essential for effective nutritional education and condition management. However, existing quality of life instruments do not adequately capture sport-specific health issues experienced by athletes. This study aimed to develop a subjective health status scale for collegiate athletes and examine its reliability and validity.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 432 collegiate athletes from two private universities in Tokyo, Japan. Six health-related items concerning gastrointestinal, skin, fatigue, and recovery conditions were developed based on semi-structured interviews with athletes and coaches. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine the factor structure, followed by assessments of internal consistency and associations with training satisfaction.

Two factors were identified: "Gastrointestinal/Skin condition" and "Fatigue Recovery/Reduction". Both subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.76 for each) and were positively correlated with training satisfaction (r = 0.44-0.55, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that both factors significantly predicted training satisfaction (adjusted R² = 0.35, p < 0.001), with "Fatigue Recovery/Reduction" showing a stronger predictive effect (β = 0.45).

The newly developed scale demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity and may provide a practical, non-invasive tool for monitoring athlete health and evaluating nutritional education and condition management programs.