...during previous 24 hours were also investigated, as well as the suitability of urine colour as marker of hydration status.

Design: There were 93 male athletes tested prior to their first game, with 68 retested three to four days later. A comparison between subjects' urine specific gravity ([U.sub.sg]) was made with urine colour ([U.sub.col]), subjects' origin and previous 24 hours' activities as indicated in a questionnaire. No prior warning was given for either test.

Subjects: Subjects were selected on the basis of the environmental conditions they anticipated for competition and had therefore prepared for: indoor air conditioned (volleyball n = 43), outdoor (touch football n = 32) and indoor non-air conditioned (basketball n = 18).

Setting: The 2001 Arafura Games, an international event held in dry tropical conditions in Australia.

Main outcome measures: Urine specific gravity ([U.sub.sg]); urine colour.

Statistical analyses: Differences in [U.sub.sg] between the first and second sampling periods were compared using a Student's t-test (paired). For differences in distribution of hydration levels between sports. Fishers exact tests with Bonferroni adjusted alpha levels were used. Stepwise linear regression was used to determine the effect of athletes' variables on [U.sub.sg].

Results: The [U.sub.sg] of all samples (mean [+ or -] standard deviation) was 1.020 [+ or -] 0.008, with 6% classified with serious dehydration, 50% with significant dehydration, 31% with minimal dehydration and 14% were well hydrated. There was no difference between the first and second sample (P = 0.166). There was a significant relationship between [U.sub.sg] and fluid intake rating (P = 0.015), but no relationships between [U.sub.sg] and other questionnaire items. There was a high correlation (r = 0.87) between [U.sub.col] and [U.sub.sg], though [U.sub.col] tended to underestimate hydration levels.

Conclusion and application: Findings are of some concern as dehydration was prevalent among athletes. Recommendations are for hydration education to specifically target those groups identified as high risk, irrespective of whether athletes had spent the previous six months in a tropical environment, and to promote [U.sub.col] to be used by athletes for monitoring hydration status.

Key words: dehydration, urinalysis, Arafura Games, tropical environment, team sport

(Nutr Diet 2004;61:221-5)

**********

Introduction

A well regarded position on fluid replacement recommends that individuals 'drink adequate fluids during the 24-hour period before an event ... to promote proper hydration before exercise or competition' (1). Athletes who begin exercise with less than normal volume of body water are likely to experience adverse effects on cardiovascular function (2), temperature regulation (3) and exercise performance (4). The effect of dehydration (reduced body fluids) is more serious when competing in a hot environment, as the dehydrated athlete is not able to cope with hyperthermia (5,6). Dehydration is likely to be exacerbated when competing in a series of events over a number of days, since athletes typically replace only 30% to 70% of sweat loss incurred during exercise (7) and weight lost during an event can still persist despite free water availability for 24 hours post-exercise (6). Subsequent games within a tournament are frequently little more than 24 hours apart. Dehydration resulting in as little as 2% decrease in body mass may affect performance (8). Dehydration has been shown to affect performance in aerobic events (9), intermittent sprints (10), team games (11,12), and to decrease time to exhaustion (13).

The Arafura Games are held in...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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