A Comprehensive Analysis of Sports Nutrition Knowledge and Diet Diversity Among South Indian Athletes

Abstract

Purpose. Athletes can benefit greatly from having knowledge about sports nutrition. However, there are limited studies on athletes' nutritional knowledge and dietary habits in South India. This study aims to assess the athletes' sports nutrition knowledge, analyse their dietary practices and attitudes, and the dietary diversity score. Material & Methods. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in selected areas of Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu. Eighty-five athletes aged 10-18 training in different sports academies were interviewed individually using a validated questionnaire to analyse their sports nutrition knowledge, attitude and dietary practices. Results. The results showed that only 4.7% of the athletes had adequate nutritional knowledge of over 60%. The mean overall knowledge score was 40.2%, with athletes being most knowledgeable about protein and its sources (mean score of 67.9%), but less aware of carbohydrate and fat sources and recommendations (mean score of 15.08% and 14.01%, respectively). The mean score for attitude and dietary practices were 64.4 and 59.5 respectively. A strong and positive correlation was found between the level of nutritional knowledge and attitude (p=0.0001). Additionally, we found that the occupation of parents and the monthly income of the family were significantly associated with the athletes' nutritional knowledge. Majority of athletes (74.1%) of the athletes had an adequate dietary diversity score (DDS) of ≥ 5, and 25.9% of the athletes had a DDS of ≤ 4. Conclusions. Nutritional educational interventions at the grass root level can potentially improve athletes' knowledge, dietary practices and sports performance in the future. It is crucial to identify and address knowledge gaps, and use technology to monitor and motivate athletes towards consistency in implementing their knowledge.