Nutritional practices of athletes in oman: a descriptive study

Evaluation of Validity and Reliability of a German General and Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for Athletes and Coaches (GSNKQ-AC)

Despite the availability of nutritional recommendations, studies have reported inadequate nutrition in athletes. The existing literature highlights the importance of the nutritional knowledge of both athletes and coaches in influencing athletes' food choices and behavior, as well as its direct and indirect impact on athletes' performance and health. To adequately assess nutritional knowledge, monitoring via valid and reliable questionnaires is required. As no questionnaire tailored to German-speaking athletes and coaches exists, this study aimed at developing a new General and Sports Nutritional Knowledge Questionnaire for Athletes and Coaches (GSNKQ-AC). The development followed a literature-based, ten-step validation approach. The initial questionnaire (63 items) was revised and reduced to 29 items in the final version after conducting construct verification in the target group (n = 84 athletes and coaches), evaluating content validity by a panel of nutrition experts (n = 8), verifying face validity by think-out-loud interviews in the target group (n = 7), and conducting classical test theory for item reduction analysis (n = 53). For the final GSNKQ-AC, internal consistency, calculated as Cronbach's alpha, was 0.87. Students with a focus on sports nutrition (n = 31) scored significantly higher than athletes and coaches (n = 53), revealing good construct validity (77% vs. 62%, p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability (n = 42, matched pairs) showed a Spearman's correlation coefficient of r = 0.61 (p < 0.01). The brief GSNKQ-AC can be used for status quo or longitudinal assessment of nutritional knowledge among athletes and coaches to reveal gaps and ensure purposeful planning of educational interventions.

The Influence of Gender on Food Consumption Patterns Among National-Level Adolescent Cyclists

Background and objective Adolescents in general make poor food choices due to a lack of awareness, social pressure, and other factors, leading to a faulty lifestyle. On the other hand, the adolescent athletic population is associated with a healthy eating pattern. In light of this, this study aimed to evaluate the eating behavior of adolescent cyclists competing at the national level. Methods A total of 50 national-level adolescent cyclists (26 males and 24 females) were assessed for eating behavior, daily food consumption patterns, and eating habits around exercise time by using a pre-tested validated questionnaire, Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and 24-hour Food Recall. Results The majority (82%) of the cyclists were non-vegetarians, followed by lacto-vegetarians (14%) and lacto-ovo vegetarians (14%). Of note, 72% of the cyclists consumed four meals consisting of breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner daily, while 28% skipped at least one of the meals. The preference for takeaways (52%) surpassed dine-outs (34%) and home-cooked (14%) food. Pre-training snack was consumed by 37% and post-training snack by 47%. Cyclists daily consumed breakfast cereals (76%), bread (94%), pulses (92%), fruits (100%), vegetables (62%), milk (84%), milk products (90%), egg (82%), poultry, fish, and meat (74%), dry fruits, nuts, and seeds (78%), and saturated fats (100%). Junk foods (94%) and sweetened beverages (70%) were consumed at least once a week. No significant difference was observed in eating behavior and daily food consumption pattern between male and female cyclists. Conclusion The eating behavior of adolescent cyclists was inclined towards the consumption of saturated fats, junk food, and sweetened beverages. Male and female athletes have similar food habits. There is a need for the implementation of behavior change-oriented nutrition strategies to inculcate healthy eating habits among adolescent cyclists.

Knowledge as Determinant of Healthy-Eating Among Male Postgraduate Public Health Students in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

Unhealthy eating, which is quite prevalent among the adult population globally, is a major risk factor for Non-Communicable Diseases. Men have the tendency to visit food vendors without recourse to body nutrients requirement, health and expectations as potential change agents. The study was thus designed to investigate the knowledge and practices of healthy eating among male public health students in a Nigerian tertiary institution. Data was collected from 161 consenting respondents. Knowledge of healthy eating was assessed on a 25-point knowledge scale; score ≥19 was rated good, <19≥12 fair and <12 poor. Practices of healthy eating were assessed using a 34-point practice scale; score ≥26 was rated good and <26 poor. Patterns of eating was determined using food frequency questionnaire; descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out at α=0.05. Respondents' age was 28.9 ± 5.5 years; they were mostly Christian (87.0%), Yoruba (69.6%) and 21.1% were married. Their body mass index was 23.1 ± 3.1kg/m², monthly income ranged between N5000 and N300,000, 2.5% smoked tobacco/cigarette and 28.0% consumed alcohol. Good knowledge was observed among 52.2% of the respondents, 37.9% had good healthy eating practices, 49.7% did not eat breakfast everyday while only 13.7% consumed fruits and vegetables daily. The most reported factors influencing choice of food included health maintenance and food availability. Respondents' knowledge and practices relating to healthy eating was significant. Knowledge of healthy eating was average and practice was poor among the study population. Strategic health education and behaviour change communication could motivate male students for healthy eating.

Use of dietary and performance-enhancing supplements among male fitness center members in Riyadh: A cross-sectional study

This study aimed to explore the health beliefs and patterns of dietary supplement usage among fitness center members. This cross-sectional study was conducted in four large indoor fitness centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This study involved male fitness center members aged ≥18 years with no speech or hearing disabilities. In-person interviews were conducted with fitness center members who agreed to participate using a newly developed questionnaire. Information on participants’ sociodemographics (e.g., age and education), smoking status, health status, exercise frequency, average time spent exercising, different supplements used, used supplements sources, and health beliefs regarding dietary supplements were obtained. A total of 445 fitness center members agreed to participate, and 198 of them reported taking dietary supplements. Most participants were between the age of 18 and 25 years (66%), had a college degree (74%), non-smokers (77%), healthy (84%), and perform exercise at least thrice weekly (52%) for at least 1 hour (63%). The percentage of participants who had favorable health views on dietary supplements was significantly higher among the supplement users than among the non-users (P<0.0001). Proteins, multivitamins, amino acids, and omega 3 fatty acids were the most commonly reported supplements used. Almost 30% of the supplement users reported buying them overseas, 28% online, 25% from a pharmacy or supplement store, 19% from a medical clinic, and 17% from peddlers. Public health campaigns are needed to educate the public on the potential harmful effects of supplements if purchased from an unofficial seller or taken without seeking medical advice before using them.

Marine bioactives and potential application in sports

An enriched diet with antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, β-carotene and phenolic compounds, has always been suggested to improve oxidative stress, preventing related diseases. In this respect, marine natural product (MNP), such as COX inhibitors, marine steroids, molecules interfering with factors involved in the modulation of gene expression (such as NF-κB), macrolides, many antioxidant agents, thermogenic substances and even substances that could help the immune system and that result in the protection of cartilage, have been recently gaining attention. The marine world represents a reserve of bioactive ingredients, with considerable potential as functional food. Substances, such as chitin, chitosan, n-3 oils, carotenoids, vitamins, minerals and bioactive peptides, can provide several health benefits, such as the reduction of cardiovascular diseases, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic activities. In addition, new marine bioactive substances with potential anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and thermogenic capacity may provide health benefits and performance improvement, especially in those who practice physical activity, because of their increased free radical and Reacting Oxygen Species (ROS) production during exercise, and, particularly, in athletes. The aim of this review is to examine the potential pharmacological properties and application of many marine bioactive substances in sports.