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NUTRITIONAL INTAKE, EATING ATTITUDE, AND ANXIETY AMONG COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL PLAYERS: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Abstract

NUTRITIONAL INTAKE, EATING ATTITUDE, AND ANXIETY AMONG COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL PLAYERS: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

M. Kalista, S. Phillips, T. Clarke, S. Silbernagel, N. Martin, and C. Papadopoulos

Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA.

Current nutritional recommendations state that athletes should consume adequate energy to match energy expenditure, particularly during periods of high intensity training. Athletes with inadequate nutritional intake may experience fatigue and decrease in performance. Furthermore, stress and anxiety have been shown to alter nutritional intake and influence athletic performance. However, little is known about precompetitive and competitive nutritional intake and anxiety levels of softball players. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine precompetitive and competitive nutritional intake and anxiety levels of collegiate softball athletes and to compare athletes’ nutritional intake to the current sport nutrition recommendations. METHODS: Twenty division III college-level softball players recorded their food intake on the day before a game (precompetitive) and on the day of that game (competitive). From these records total caloric and macronutrient intake were determined using nutritional analysis software. On both days each participant used biofeedback equipment for one 3-minute session to determine time spent on three levels of coherence. Athletes also completed the Sport Competition Anxiety Test questionnaire to determine overall levels of anxiety and the eating attitude test (EAT-26) to determine risk of disordered eating. A paired t-test was used to determine differences in caloric intake and anxiety levels between the precompetitive and competitive day. Statistical level was established at p<0.05. RESULTS: The majority of the athletes had a low EAT-26 score indicating low levels of concern about dieting, body weight or problematic eating behavior. Diet analysis revealed no significant difference (p>0.05) in total energy, fat and protein intake between the two days. Carbohydrate intake for each day was below the recommended range for athletes (6-10g CHO/kg/d), but was not significantly (p=0.9) different between days. Based on the results from the SCAT questionnaire, 45% of the athletes reported an average level of anxiety and 40% reported low. Paired t-test analysis revealed that the athletes spent significantly (p=0.02) higher % of time in HIGH coherence (37.2 ± 31.4 vs. 56.5 ± 30.9) and significantly lower % of time on LOW coherence (37.6 ± 23.6 vs. 26.1 ± 22.8) on the day of the game compared to the day before the game. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that softball players do not consume recommended amounts of calories and carbohydrates on the day before competition. Results also indicate a decrease in anxiety level on the day of the game compared to the day before the game suggesting that the players were more focused on the day of the game.

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