Athlete Preferences for Nutrition Education: Development of and Findings from a Quantitative Survey

Hayley Solly; Claire E. Badenhorst; Matson McCauley; Gary J. Slater; Janelle A. Gifford; Bevan Erueti; Kathryn L. Beck

doi:10.3390/nu15112519

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Athlete Preferences for Nutrition Education: Development of and Findings from a Quantitative Survey

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Athlete Preferences for Nutrition Education: Development of and Findings from a Quantitative Survey

Hayley Solly, Claire E. Badenhorst, Matson McCauley, Gary J. Slater, Janelle A. Gifford, Bevan Erueti and Kathryn L. Beck

Nutrients, Vol.15(11), pp.1-16

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15112519

PMID: 37299484

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Abstract

behaviour change

diet

education

elite

sport

survey

Nutrition education (NE) is one of several strategies aimed at enhancing the dietary intake of athletes. This study investigated NE preferences of New Zealand and Australian athletes competing nationally and internationally. Athletes (n = 124, 22 (18, 27) years, female 54.8%) from 22 sports completed an online survey, with responses analysed using descriptive statistics. Teaching techniques considered ‘extremely effective’ were life examples (47.6% of athletes), hands-on activities (30.6%), and discussions with a facilitator (30.6%). Setting personal nutrition goals was important to most athletes (83.9%), along with two-way feedback with a facilitator (75.0%). General nutrition topics considered ‘essential’ were energy requirements (52.9%), hydration (52.9%), and nutrient deficiencies (43.3%). Performance topics considered ‘essential’ were recovery (58.1%), pre-exercise nutrition (51.6%), nutrition during exercise (50.0%), and energy requirements for training (49.2%). Athletes preferred a ‘combination of in-person group and one-on-one sessions’ (25% of athletes), ‘one-on one sessions’ (19.2%) and ‘in-person group sessions’ (18.3%), with only 13.3% interested in ‘exclusively online delivery’. Sessions of 31–60 min (61.3% of athletes) held monthly (37.5%) and undertaken with athletes of the same sporting calibre (61.3%) were favoured by the participants. The preferred facilitator was a performance dietitian or nutritionist (82.1% of athletes), who had knowledge of the sport (85.5%), experience in sports nutrition (76.6%), and credibility (73.4%). This research provides novel insights into the factors that need to be considered when designing and implementing nutrition education for athletes.

Details

Title: Athlete Preferences for Nutrition Education: Development of and Findings from a Quantitative Survey
Authors: Hayley Solly (Author) - Massey University
Claire E. Badenhorst (Author) - Massey University
Matson McCauley (Author) - Massey University
Gary J. Slater (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Janelle A. Gifford (Author) - The University of Sydney
Bevan Erueti (Author) - Massey University
Kathryn L. Beck (Corresponding Author) - Massey University
Publication details: Nutrients, Vol.15(11), pp.1-16
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.3390/nu15112519
ISSN: 2072-6643
PMID: 37299484
Copyright note: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99735572502621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Nutrition & Dietetics