The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is at the helm of an innovative research project. This project seeks to address the critical gaps in women’s health that exist in the world of sport. This project is in partnership with Edith Cowan University and the University of Technology Sydney. Collectively, we seek to systematically review the literature on the health of female athletes. Yet only 6% of sport science and sports medicine research studies women. This new initiative fills an urgent state and national need for high-quality, evidence-based information in this burgeoning area.
Dr. Rachel Harris is a former competitive swimmer and 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medalist. She is currently Director of the Female Performance and Health Initiative at the AIS. Having retired at 21, Dr. Harris now dedicates her expertise to ensure that female athletes receive the necessary insights to optimize their health and performance. The project is guided by the principles of open science, which encourages collaboration and sharing between researchers while increasing transparency.
Understanding the Scope of Women’s Health in Sports
The AIS initiative also brings to light a larger and more pervasive issue in sports science. Most research has focused primarily on male athletes. As Dr. Harris notes, we must do a better job of ensuring this disparity doesn’t exist. She notes, “We want that information that gets to our athletes to be based on high-quality research that’s going to benefit them, not from low-quality research that is just flash in the pan, hot topic at the present time.”
The project’s goal is to evaluate the quality of these studies, flood them out, and conduct a systematic review. Paolo Menaspà, a key team member, states, “There is a growing concern that sometimes the threshold for what is good quality kind of moves.” The initiative aims to set universal quality standards that make sure athletes are getting actionable insights from trusted data sources.
We’re developing easily accessible, straightforward information about women’s health in sport. Their goal is to raise the profile of these under-represented research areas, and to encourage governments and academia to invest more in their research. “None of this information is around state secrets,” Dr. Harris adds, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge freely among researchers and practitioners.
The Impact of Social Media and Recent Findings
The renewed focus on women’s health in sports has gained momentum in part due to social media, which has amplified conversations around female athletes’ experiences. High-profile cases are making headlines, such as retired American soccer player Megan Rapinoe’s recent admission that she suffered ACL injuries on her menstrual cycle. Together, these stories paint a delicate picture of female athlete health. This has allowed for a greater conversation on the impact of hormonal fluctuations on performance and injury risk.
Mary Fowler, a rising star in the Matildas squad, recently joined the ranks of female athletes facing knee injuries, adding urgency to the project’s mission. Injuries such as ACL tears are more prevalent in sports-associated women. It is important for researchers to understand how best to meet and address these emerging health challenges.
Dr. Harris acknowledges that while progress is being made, “We’re definitely not where we need to be yet.” Our current research landscape is devoid of robust data on female-specific health concerns. Filling this gap is an urgent matter requiring the attention of both the academic and sporting communities.
Collaborative Efforts Across Borders
The AIS project isn’t going it alone. This initiative is a US-focused effort, but it’s just one component of an international movement known as The Alliance, which connects with movements in the US, UK, and New Zealand. Through this collaborative approach, we hope to pool our resources and expertise to make strides with regards to female athlete health and performance on a global scale.
Dr. Harris is confident that developing these types of partnerships will maximize the project’s impact. “If we make the information transparent then it can be not only peer-reviewed but checked by other research groups,” Menaspà explains. This pledge to transparency helps give confidence that findings are subject to scrutiny and the ability to be duplicated across research institutions.
The project sheds light on the specific health needs and challenges encountered by female para-athletes. Second, it acknowledges that together they are a diverse cohort needing tailored guidance and resources. Tackling these issues is crucial for fostering an inclusive and equitable sporting environment.
