Sports Nutrition and Food Knowledge among Malaysian University Athletes.

Nur Syazana Nor Azizam,Azimah Ahmad,Nik Shanita Safii,Jonie Jerypin Amon,Nor Aini Jamil,Siti Nurhazlin Yusof

doi:10.3390/nu14030572

Nur Syazana Nor Azizam, Azimah Ahmad + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030572

Copy DOI

Abstract

Sports nutrition and food knowledge can influence athletes’ dietary intake, potentially affecting athletic performance. Limited studies have been conducted to identify sports nutrition and food knowledge among Malaysian university athletes. This study aimed to determine Malaysian university athletes’ knowledge of sports nutrition and food, and their reference sources and preferred sports nutrition education programme. Seventy athletes (52.9% females, mean weight = 61.8 kg; height = 1.66 m) aged 18.5–22.4 years responded to an online survey administered using a Google Form. A score of ≥60% was considered as adequate knowledge. The average overall knowledge score was 58.6%. The highest knowledge score was for sports nutrition, specifically food intake periodicity (84.8%), while the lowest was for general food knowledge on fat (44.6%). An analysis of specific questions revealed a lack of understanding about the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables (only 14.3% answered correctly), the roles of vitamins and minerals in energy production (21.4%), and good sources of unsaturated fat (37.2%). The academician was the primary reference source (81%), while magazines were the least referred to sources (36%). The university athletes preferred sports camps (33%) over the other nutrition education programme options. More initiatives are needed to improve Malaysian university athletes’ understanding and knowledge of sports nutrition and general food.

Highlights

Athletes’ nutritional requirements are primarily determined by the demands of their activities and goals to achieve peak sports performance and overall health [1,2]
One strategy to increase nutritional awareness in athletes is through nutrition education programmes [9,10], such as individual nutrition counselling, group activities workshops, or online educational materials [11,12,13]
Than among dehydrated athletes (50.6%), but the overall nutritional knowledge score was still low (52.9%) [18]. These findings suggest that more research is needed to explore other factors that influence athletes’ knowledge and practice, and that knowledge levels vary by population and sociodemographic profiles

Summary

Introduction

Athletes’ nutritional requirements are primarily determined by the demands of their activities and goals to achieve peak sports performance and overall health [1,2]. Individual dietary intakes may be influenced by knowledge, attitude, and nutrition-related information resources available for obtaining nutrition-related information [4]. Nutritional knowledge is a modifiable factor influencing dietary behaviours. Athletes’ understanding of sports nutrition can influence their food choices, which in turn can affect their overall athletic performance [5,6]. Athletes should obtain appropriate nutritional information from a credible and certified source, as this will shape their understanding of nutrition [7,8]. Nutritional education sessions can be incorporated into sports camp activities

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion