The Assessment of Nutrition Knowledge in ROTC Cadets

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to measure the nutrition knowledge of Army ROTC cadets before and after the implementation of nutrition education sessions presented by a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), while observing the effectiveness of nutrition intervention on this population.Methods: Army ROTC cadets (n=33; 19+1 years old) from a southeastern university participated in a 9-week study in which they completed a nutrition knowledge survey pre- and post- implementation of six nutrition education sessions. General nutrition knowledge (GNK) and sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) were measured via the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire (ANSKQ).Results: General, sports, and total nutrition knowledge (TNK) improved significantly between pre-survey and post-survey scores (p < .001; p < .01; p < .001, respectively). Independent samples t-test showed large t-score values (GNK t = -3.559; SNK t = -2.794; TNK t = -3.776), indicating a strong difference between the three groups. Army ROTC cadet ANSKQ scores significantly improved GNK from adequate to good, SNK from poor to adequate, and TNK from poor to adequate.Conclusions: The results of this study indicate nutrition knowledge is poor in ROTC cadets, but may improve from nutrition education interventions presented by an RDN.