Knowledge and Attitude of Dietary Supplements among Arab Olympic Athletes and Coaches in Preparation Program for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Abstract

Nutrition plays an important role as a key factor in the performance of athletes and their coaches, so good and proper nutrition is essential for improving athletic performance and physical fitness. The lack of nutritional knowledge of athletes may affect their performance, and the most important of these issues is nutritional knowledge of food and dietary supplements Aim: To assess the nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice of athletes and their coaches at the Arab Olympic Preparation Center about the dietary supplements, the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Strategy has been used to assess this. Method: A questionnaire-based study was applied to a convenient sample of 111 elite athletes and coaches in the Arab Olympic preparation programs during the period between January and March 2020 from different sports types. The questionnaire contained two-parts (personal information and nutritional supplement knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaire) to meet the purpose of the study. Results: The total percentage of athletes' knowledge about nutritional supplements is only 46.94 %, indicating that this important group of society does not have sufficient knowledge of nutritional supplements. While the percentage of use of dietary supplements among elite athletes was approximately 41.6%, which is relatively high. Also, our study showed that coaches had a positive impact on the elite athletes due to good coaches' knowledge, 84.2% of elite athletes indicated that they had taken information from their coaches about dietary supplements, and 53.5% of elite athletes indicated that they had participated in nutritional supplement workshops. Conclusion: Based on our study, there was a relatively high prevalence of dietary supplements use among elite athletes and coaches at the Arab Olympic Preparation Program due to a lack of knowledge about dietary supplements.

Athletes’ nutritional demands: a narrative review of nutritional requirements

“…Dietary supplements play a crucial role in building muscle, boosting the immune system, and providing fuel to enhance training or athletic performance. Elite athletes often utilize performance-enhancing agents, with many considering supplements to be an essential component for sports success ( 118 ). A Canadian study revealed that 87% of elite male and female athletes used supplements regularly ( 112 ), while another study conducted in Canada found that 98% of young athletes between the ages of 11 and 25 used supplements on a regular or intermittent basis ( 119 ).…”

Investigating the interrelationships among food habits, sports nutrition knowledge, and perceived barriers to healthy eating: a study of adolescent swimmers

“…Insufficient understanding of nutrition among athletes has the potential to impact their performance ( 1 , 2 ). It is crucial for adolescent athletes to embrace a healthy eating regimen to adequately fulfill their nutritional requirements, foster well-being, and optimize their athletic performance ( 3 , 4 ).…”