Sports Nutrition Knowledge of Division II Student-Athletes and Their Coaches
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Abstract
Objectives: There were two primary purposes of this study. One was to determine the nutrition knowledge of NCAA Division II student-athletes and coaches. Two, to investigate the differences in nutrition knowledge between the sexes who play the same sport. Secondary objectives included finding a difference in nutrition knowledge between upper and lowerclassmen, and to determine the most common resources of nutrition knowledge. Methods: The study included 145 student-athletes and 21 coaches. All participants completed a 16-question survey to determine their sports nutrition knowledge, with satisfactory knowledge at or greater than 75% correct. Results: The overall mean sports nutrition knowledge for the student-athletes was 55.3% and the coaches was 67.9%. Only 21 student-athletes and 9 coaches had satisfactory scores. Two control groups (students majoring in athletic training and exercise science; and non-student-athletes) were used to make comparisons to the student-athletes and coaches. Conclusion: The results indicate that it would be valuable for coaches to communicate their knowledge to their athletes and for college athletic programs to spend time and effort in improving nutrition knowledge to optimize athletic performance.
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