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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Diet Quality of Elite Australian Athletes Evaluated Using the Athlete Diet Index
Nutrients, Vol.13(1), pp.1-15
2021
PMCID: PMC7823332
PMID: 33396371
Abstract
While athletes’ nutrient intakes have been widely reported, few studies have assessed the diet quality of athletes. This is the first study to evaluate the diet quality of athletes using the purpose-built Athlete Diet Index (ADI). A convenience sample of 165 elite athletes from Australian sporting institutions completed the ADI online, with subsequent automated results provided to their respective accredited sports dietitians (ASDs). At the completion of athlete participation, ASDs (n = 12) responded to a range of survey items using a Likert scale (i.e., 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree) to determine the suitability of the ADI in practice. Differences in ADI scores for demographics and sport-specific variables were investigated using independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni multiple comparisons. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess the association between total scores and demographics. The mean total ADI score was 91.4 ± 12.2 (range 53–117, out of a possible 125). While there was no difference in total scores based on demographics or sport-specific variables; team sport athletes scored higher than individual sport athletes (92.7 vs. 88.5, P < 0.05). Athletes training fewer hours (i.e., 0–11 h/week) scored higher on Dietary Habits sub-scores compared with athletes training more hours (> 12 h/week; P < 0.05), suggesting that athletes who train longer may be at risk of a compromised dietary pattern or less than optimal nutrition practices that support training. Most (75%) ASDs surveyed strongly agreed with the perceived utility of the ADI for screening athletes and identifying areas for nutrition support, confirming its suitability for use in practice.
Details
- Title
- Diet Quality of Elite Australian Athletes Evaluated Using the Athlete Diet Index
- Authors
- Louise Capling (Author) - The University of SydneyRyan Tam (Author) - The University of SydneyKathryn L. Beck (Author) - Massey UniversityGary J. Slater (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Sport Sciences - LegacyVictoria M. Flood (Author) - The University of SydneyHelen T. O’Connor (Author) - The University of SydneyJanelle A. Gifford (Author) - The University of Sydney
- Publication details
- Nutrients, Vol.13(1), pp.1-15
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.3390/nu13010126
- ISSN
- 2072-6643
- PMID
- 33396371; PMC7823332
- Copyright note
- Copyright: © 2020 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
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99500608702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Nutrition & Dietetics