Differences in weight loss practices and perceptions between medalists and non-medalists in national-level adolescent Sanda athletes

Objectives This study aimed to compare weight loss (WL) practices and perceptions between medalists and non-medalists among Chinese national-level adolescent Sanda athletes. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among national-level adolescent Sanda athletes using the Rapid Weight Loss Questionnaire (RWLQ). One hundred and sixty-four participants completed the questionnaire, with 158 valid responses obtained. Athletes were categorized as medalists or non-medalists based on their competitive achievements. Results Overall, 79% of athletes (n = 125) reported intentional WL. In unadjusted analyses, three nominal associations were observed, with medalists reporting greater habitual WL%, greater habitual WL% during the 9–60 days prior to weigh-in, and lower habitual WR/WL before competition than non-medalists. However, none remained statistically significant after Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment. No statistically significant difference were observed for the other WL practices and perceptions variables (all p > 0.05). Conclusions WL practices and perceptions were similar between national-level medalists and non-medalists. Although three nominal associations were identified in the unadjusted analyses, none remained statistically significant after Benjamini–Hochberg FDR adjustment. The present findings therefore do not provide robust evidence of systematic differences in WL characteristics according to medal achievement. The high prevalence and substantial magnitude of WL observed in this population warrant attention, particularly among adolescent athletes.