Author : Sara Meyer
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 40 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (131 download)
Book Synopsis The Impact of a Nutrition Education Program on Athletes' Food and Drink Choices and Nutrition Knowledge by : Sara Meyer
Download or read book The Impact of a Nutrition Education Program on Athletes' Food and Drink Choices and Nutrition Knowledge written by Sara Meyer and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adolescence is a time of rapid increase in growth. It is important that physically active adolescents consume enough energy and nutrients to meet their needs in terms of growth, tissue maintenance, and performance in their activities. However, due to the busy life style of most families, children, including athletic children, may be receiving far from an optimal nutritional diet. This aim of this study was to evaluate whether a nutrition education program was effective in aiding female adolescent athletes to make proper food and drink choices. The subjects in this study were twelve girls from the Octorara Area High School Girls' basketball team. Their age range was 13-18 years old and the majority of the subjects were Caucasian. The girls completed a 24-hour food recall questionnaire and a general nutrition knowledge test. The initial 24-hour food recall showed that the team's average diet did not meet the recommended amount of carbohydrates. The pretest also showed that the athletes were not sure of what carbohydrates were. The nutrition education program was designed from the results of the initial food recall and the pretest. After the nutrition intervention, the subjects completed another 24-hour recall and a post-test. The results showed that the team as an average slightly increased their consumption of the carbohydrates within their meal composition. The percentage of girls consuming the recommended amount of carbohydrates for the adolescent athlete increased from 8% to 42% after the intervention. The post-test showed that there was an increase in nutrition knowledge. One threat to the validity of this study was the small sample size. Therefore it was difficult to determine whether improved nutrition knowledge impacted the athletes' food choices. Further studies need to be performed to find the best way to reach the female athletes. Parental involvement should be vital in any further nutrition education programs provided to adolescents.