Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the intratester and intertester reliability of three common methods of assessing hydration; urine color chart (UCC), dipstick reagent strip (DRS) and refractometer (REF). Methods: Twenty-three male collegiate wrestlers (n = 23, age = 20.09 ± 1.35, weight = 78.73 ± 11.25 kg, height = 174.49 ± 7.23 cm) provided urine samples on three separate occasions totaling 69 samples (n = 69). Samples were analyzed with repeated measures by three testers, three trials, and three separate methods of assessment. Results: All methods had very high intertester reliability as demonstrated by Cronbach`s Alpha coefficients; DRS (r = .985), UCC (r = .973) and REF (r = .968). Intraclass correlation coefficient ranges were also very high; DRS .983 - .994, UCC 964-.983, and REF .829-.996. Conclusions: The three modes of urine hydration assessment are highly reliable, and are a practical, noninvasive method to evaluate hydration status in the field.
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