A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY REGARDING NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AND DIETARY PRACTICES AMONG COMPETITIVE ATHLETES ACROSS SPORT DISCIPLINES

Authors

  • Muhammad Zafar Iqbal But Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Alamgir Khan Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Shireen Bhatti Collage Education Department Sindh
  • Shehzadi Sanam Roohi Farooqi Department Sports Sciences and Physical Education, Riphah International University, Faisalabad Campus
  • Muhammad Saleem Akhtar Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Hafiz Ghulam Nabi Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Iram Shahzadi Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Manzoor Khan Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of Science and Technology, Bannu, KP, Pakistan
  • Aqib Ashraf Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Keywords:

Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Practices, Competitive Athletes, Sport Disciplines, Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Study Objective: Sports performance and nutrition both are interrelated related to each other. Nutritional knowledge is more important for athletes for the development and maintenance of their performance. Although there is a growing trend of focusing on nutrition in education, disparities in the basic understanding and practice aspect of diet use among athletes from different sports are as yet underexplored. This study is specifically carried out for the purpose of assessing the nutritional knowledge and dietary practices of competitive athletes participating in various sports activities.

Material and Methods: The participants of the study were comprised of athletes of different sports activities registered to different sports organizations, such as federations and clubs of Pakistan. Similarly, data were collected from five hundred (500) athletes of different sports activities using available sampling techniques through an online validated nutrition knowledge questionnaire (modified from Trakman et al., 2018) and a dietary practices inventory was administered. The collected data were processed through the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS version 26).

Results: On average, athletes' knowledge about nutrition was moderate (mean score = 68.2%, SD = 12.5). Endurance athletes scored significantly higher than strength athletes did (p < 01). Nutrition knowledge and adherence to sport-specific dietary behaviours. Positive relationships were observed between nutrition knowledge and healthfulness of sports-specific dietary practices (r = 45, p < 001). Gender, years of competitive experience, and access to dietary counselling predicted higher knowledge scores (p < 05).

Conclusion: On the basis of findings, the researcher concluded that  Sport-specific differences in nutrition knowledge may affect dietary practices. Specialised nutrition education programs that meet the demands of different sports and athlete backgrounds are required if optimal performance outcomes are to be realised.

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Published

2025-10-17

How to Cite

Muhammad Zafar Iqbal But, Alamgir Khan, Shireen Bhatti, Shehzadi Sanam Roohi Farooqi, Muhammad Saleem Akhtar, Hafiz Ghulam Nabi, … Aqib Ashraf. (2025). A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY REGARDING NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AND DIETARY PRACTICES AMONG COMPETITIVE ATHLETES ACROSS SPORT DISCIPLINES. Journal for Current Sign, 3(4), 242–251. Retrieved from http://currentsignreview.com/index.php/JCS/article/view/376

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2025): Journal for Current Sign

Section

Articles