Nutrition Knowledge and Attitudes of Athletes and Coaches in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai

Abstract

2374 PURPOSE: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of the coaches and athletes of major cities in China regarding training diets, dehydration and rehydration, and the value of nutrition education. METHODS: Participants included 2415 coaches and athletes in total from Hong Kong (HK), Shanghai (SH), and Beijing (BJ). For coaches, selection was based upon their formal coaching qualifications in at least one sport recognised by the national governing body. Physical education teachers without a proper coaching qualification were excluded. For athletes, only those aged above 14 were included. Selection was based on their participation in at least one “target sport” classified by the Hong Kong Sports Development Board for at least 4 years. A four-page, 39-item questionnaire, based on scientific literature and knowledge in sport nutrition, was developed. The questionnaire was divided into three parts that included demographic information, sport nutritional knowledge, and sports drink usage and nutritional practices. Reliability and factor analysis were performed to ensure the quality of the questionnaire. Content and face validity, layout, format, and readability of the questionnaire were also assessed by experts. Data collection was carried out between July 2001 and December 2001. RESULTS: Results show that in all three cities, more than 80% respondents agreed to the importance of proper nutritional knowledge in improving athletic performance (HK: 83.5%; SH: 86.8%; BJ: 90.2%). However, less than 30% participants in all three places agreed that they had enough opportunities to gain accurate sport nutritional knowledge (HK: 22.9%; SH: 26.0%; BJ: 14.5%). These results may have led to the low score of the questions about nutrition knowledge (33.99%) obtained from these cities. However, respondents from HK scored higher than those from SH and BJ (p<.05). Most HK respondents consumed high carbohydrate diet after exercise (87.0%), whereas the majority of respondents from SH and BJ ingested foods with high protein or vitamin content after exercise (SH: 77.2% and BJ: 85.3%). Whilst water remained the major beverage for fluid replacement after exercise, sports drink was heavily used by respondents in these three cities. Athletes of the three cities rated coaches as the most important source for nutrition information. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the majority of the athletes and coaches surveyed in HK, SH and BJ recognised the importance of proper sports nutrition on athletic performance, However, their nutritional knowledge was found inadequate and their dietary practice did not reflect their belief.