Nutrition Information Sources Used By Amateur Bodybuilding Athletes Around Polokwane Municipality In Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Background: There is a growing number of athletes participating in bodybuilding sport around the Limpopo Province. However, little is known about the nutrition information sources used by these athletes to guide their decisions during sports performance. Therefore, the researcher aimed at closing this gap through the investigation of nutrition information sources used by the bodybuilding athletes around one of the largest municipalities (Polokwane) in Limpopo Province. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study design was adopted to purposively sample 51 out of 60 amateur bodybuilding athletes in gyms around Polokwane municipality. Ethical approval and permission were obtained from the MEDUNSA Research and Ethics Committee (MREC) and coaches respectively. Athletes signed informed consent forms after the purpose of the study was explained. Data were collected at gyms in the evenings using self-designed questionnaires. The athletes’ demography, training information, and nutrition sources were collected. The SPSS (23) was used to analyse data using descriptive tests. Results: A Few athletes (11.8%) trained as bodybuilders for ≤6 months, while most athletes (66.7%) had been training for >7 months to 2 years. The majority (86.3%) trained for ≥1hour during weekdays. Most of the athletes (37.3%) relied on coaches as their source of information, while 29.4% and 29.3% relied on social media and teammates respectively. Only 4.0% used a professional for nutrition information. Conclusion: The bodybuilding athletes around Polokwane municipality mostly used coaches as sources for nutritional information.Trial registration: Not Applicable.