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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND MEAL SKIPPING BEHAVIOR IN NCAA DIVISION III COLLEGIATE ATHLETES

Abstract

B. James,K. Leland, K. Michlig

Whitworth University, Spokane, WA

In order to optimize training and athletic performance, following proper dietary habits and spacing meals throughout the day is important for athletes to reach full athletic potential. The meal skipping behaviors in relation to nutritional knowledge are unknown for NCAA Division III (DIII) athletes. DIII schools tend to have fewer resources in terms of athletic team support staff. This population may need additional nutrition assistance for proper dietary habits. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the nutritional knowledge and meal skipping behavior of NCAA DIII athletes at Whitworth University. METHODS: Thirty-one Whitworth athletes completed a nutritional knowledge (NK) questionnaire in one session to assess adequate nutritional knowledge and frequency of meal consumption. A Spearman correlation test (sig. level p ≤ 0.05) was used to compare the relationship between the nutritional knowledge and meal skipping behavior of the participants. RESULTS: Of the participants, 54.8% ate three meals a day, while the other 46.2% reported frequently skipping at least one meal a day. Breakfast was the most commonly skipped meal, with 35.5% of the subjects reporting a lack of breakfast consumption. There was no significant correlation between nutritional knowledge and regular consumption of three meals a day (r = 0.143, n = 31, p = 0.443), nor between nutritional knowledge and irregular meal consumption through meal skipping (r = -0.180, n = 31, p = 0.332). CONCLUSION: In the present study, the level of nutritional knowledge of the participants was not related to meal skipping behavior. Despite these findings, the present study may serve as a foundation for further research in the area of nutritional behaviors for NCAA DIII athletes to optimize training and athletic performance.

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