Self-consciousness in Female Sprinters Is Associated with Reporting Error for Energy Intake Estimated from Food Records

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of self-consciousness in female sprinters on reporting error for total energy intake (TEI), which was estimated from food records and by the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. Twelve female sprinters participated. Calculated TEI (cTEI) was based on total energy expenditure (TEE) assessed by the DLW method and changes in body weight during the study period. Reported TEI (rTEI) was assessed based on food weight records. Self-consciousness was assessed using the self-consciousness scale for Japanese. cTEE (1,914±604 kcal/day) and rTEI (1,930±279 kcal/day) were significantly lower than TEE (2,392±376 kcal/day). Errors caused by misrecording and changes in intake were ＋8.8±33.0％ and -20.4±19.1％, respectively. Public and private self-consciousness scores were 58.3±7.8 and 48.1±7.6, respectively. The high self-consciousness group showed a larger reduction in body weight and lower cTEI and physical activity level than the low self-consciousness group. There was a significant difference in recording error between the high and low self-consciousness groups. All 6 subjects in the high self-consciousness group over-recorded, while 5 of the 6 subjects in the low self-consciousness group under-recorded. No significant differences in TEE, rTEI, or dietary intake were observed between the two groups. Our results indicated that in female sprinters, self-consciousness contributed to error in estimation of TEI.