Qualifications and Competence to Prescribe Dietary Supplements: Perception of Fitness Instructors

Abstract

This research aims to understand fitness instructors and personal trainers’ perception of their qualifications and competence to prescribe dietary supplements. To this end, a questionnaire was applied to 154 fitness instructors and personal trainers with professional functions in health clubs/gyms. The results obtained show that the sale of these products in gyms is seen as stimulating their consumption and that most fitness professionals consider professionals in this area do not have competence to prescribe this type of service. The lack of confidence about knowledge of dietary supplements; degree courses with a weak curriculum in this domain; and the shortage of curricular units related to dietary supplements are possible reasons for these professionals not feeling sure about giving advice on this matter. Regarding ways of updating knowledge, although these professionals consider academic journals, conferences, congresses and nutrition courses as the most reliable sources of information, they resort more frequently to the Internet, despite considering this source as the least reliable. These results can have direct implications for various stakeholders, particularly for consumers to be more informed about the risks involved in consuming dietary supplements without due orientation; for fitness professionals who have little knowledge about this type of substance; for gym managers who need to understand the implications of selling this type of product in their establishments; for teaching institutions, who should reflect on, and organize their academic curricula in order to provide sufficient grounding for fitness professionals to feel safe and confident about their knowledge in this area; and for the producers of these products, in order to improve information about, and the safety of the substances they put on the market.