Evaluating the Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Guideline Adherence in ROTC cadets

Authors

Sheyla Leon, Tactical Athlete Research Unit, Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USAFollow
Michael J. Conner, Front Line Mobile Health, Granbury, TX, USA | Tactical Research Unit, Bond University, Gold Coast, AustraliaFollow
Lisa C. Colvin, Tactical Athlete Research Unit, Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USAFollow
Steven E. Martin, Tactical Athlete Research Unit, Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USAFollow
Stella L. Volpe, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, USAFollow
Drew Gonzalez, Occupational, Performance and Nutrition Lab, Department of Kinesiology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USAFollow

Abstract

Limited data exist on the overall and sports nutrition knowledge among Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets across different body mass index (BMI) categories. PURPOSE: We compared the general and sports nutrition knowledge of ROTC cadets across BMI groups. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 184 ROTC cadets were analyzed using questionnaires like PBHE, FCQ, and REAPS. BMI grouped cadets: underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), healthy (18.5–24.9), overweight (25.0–29.9), and obese (≥30.0)—normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk for underweight, overweight, obese; Kolmogorov-Smirnov for healthy) assessed data distribution. Due to deviations from normality, Welch’s ANOVA tested group differences, with Games-Howell post hoc. Effect sizes were measured by eta squared (η2): 0.01 small, 0.06 medium, 0.14 large. Pairwise BMI differences were presented as mean differences with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Differences were noted among BMI groups (as tallied totals and percentages) in knowledge of general nutrition (p=0.026; η2 = 0.071), fluid intake (p=0.048; η2 = 0.064), and sports nutrition (p=0.048; η2 = 0.056). Games-Howell post hoc analyses revealed that the overweight BMI group displayed higher general nutrition knowledge (Mdiff = 8.99% [2.39, 15.59], p = 0.003) and sports nutrition knowledge (Mdiff = 22.54% [0.06, 45.02], p = 0.049) compared to the healthy and underweight BMI groups, respectively. Regarding fluid intake, the overweight BMI group showed greater knowledge than the healthy BMI group (Mdiff = 8.44% [-0.86, 17.75], p = 0.089). CONCLUSION: The overweight BMI group of ROTC cadets expressed greater nutritional knowledge than the healthy and underweight groups. These data suggest that ROTC cadets may require educational interventions to enhance their nutritional knowledge.

Recommended Citation

Leon, Sheyla; Conner, Michael J.; Colvin, Lisa C.; Martin, Steven E.; Volpe, Stella L.; and Gonzalez, Drew (2026) "Evaluating the Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Guideline Adherence in ROTC cadets," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 18, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss18/10