Relationship between Nutrition Knowledge and Gender, Ethnic Background, and Year in School in varsity athletes

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To examine the nutrition knowledge of varsity athletes with special consideration given to gender, ethnic background, and year in school.The level of knowledge about nutrition in varsity athletes has previously been investigated and has been recognized as being relatively poor despite a general understanding that nutrition is very important for exercise performance and physical activity. However, a dearth of information exists on how gender, race, or educational level might interact with knowledge about nutrition in the varsity athlete population. The aim of this study was to ascertain the level of nutritional knowledge of collegiate athletes with specific interest in the interaction between this variable and: 1. Gender, 2. Ethnic background and; 3. Year in school Athletes (n=262) completed a questionnaire which inducted biographical information, current nutritional practices, and fifty knowledge questions related to both general nutrition and specific nutrition supplements. All knowledge statements were evaluated on a tri-option scale (true, false, don’t know). Dont know - classified as an incorrect response - was included to eliminate guessing by the respondents.The level of general nutritional knowledge of all athletes combined was quite poor (47.8%). Regarding gender differences, female athletes scored higher than male athletes (51.6% vs. 46.2%; p<0.05). As well, those athletes of African-American ethnicity scores lower than athletes of Caucasian ethnicity (40% vs. 49.3%; p<0.05), however, this difference did not extend to knowledge about protein and vitamin-mineral supplements. Specific differences were also observed among the four class-year standings of the athletes for general nutrition knowledge (seniors 54.8% vs. freshmen 43.8%; p=0.02) and for nutrition supplement knowledge (seniors 54.5% vs. freshmen 37.5%; p=0.02). These data indicate that specific subgroups of athletes have poorer levels of nutrition knowledge than others and, while programs on nutrition education seems warranted for all athletes, male, African-American, and freshmen sub-groups appear particularly in need of such programs.