Evaluation of the nutrition knowledge of sports department students of universities
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Evaluation of the nutrition knowledge of sports department students of universities Yahya Ozdoğan1* and Ayse Ozfer Ozcelik2
Abstract Background: Individuals who have knowledge on the importance of adequate and balanced diet and reflect this knowledge to their behaviors are considered to be more successful in sports life. The present study aims to evaluate the nutrition knowledge of students receiving sports education in universities. Methods: The study sample consists of 343 voluntary students from the Sports Departments of Hacettepe, Gazi and Ankara Universities in Ankara. The questionnaire used in the study included a demographic section, and 30 questions on true-false nutrition knowledge. For the reliability of the questionnaire, the internal consistency coefficient was calculated and the Kuder Richardson (KR-20) value was found to be 0.71. For higher reliability, 9 dysfunctional questions were excluded from the questionnaire. The research data were collected through a questionnaire form and face-to-face interviews. For the statistical analyses of the data, tables were prepared to show mean, standard deviation ( X¯ ± SD) and percentage (%) values. In order to determine the nutrition knowledge of students, the “independent t test” was used for nutrition lesson and gender. Results: University students receiving sports education and expected to continue their professional lives on sportrelated fields were determined to have the lack of knowledge on nutrition. The mean value about the nutrition knowledge of the first year students was found 11.150 ± 2.962, while the mean value of the fourth year students was 13.460 ± 3.703, and the difference is statistically significant (p = .000). Conclusion: Students, coaches and teachers in physical education were found not to give the necessary importance to their diets, and they were still not aware of the importance of nutrition on performance.
Background The study of nutrition dates back to over 200 years; however, sports nutrition is relatively a new discipline involving the application of nutritional principles to enhance the athletic performance. Nutrition affects a sportsman in many ways. At the basic level, it plays an important role in achieving and maintaining health. Optimal nutrition can reduce fatigue, allowing a sportsman to train and compete longer or recover faster between training sessions [1]. Nutrition is an important component of any physical fitness program. The main dietary goal of active individuals is to obtain adequate nutrition to optimize their health and fitness or sports performance [2].
* Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Home Economics, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Indeed, nutrition affects almost every process in the body involved in energy production and recovery from exercise. To understand and apply the principles of sport nutrition, some basic understanding of nutrition is necessary.
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